TURNER SPORTS INKS DEAL WITH THE AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION -by Chris TerrellAtlanta, GA. PlayON! Sports, a division of Turner Sports, and the American Basketball Association (ABA) announced today an agreement to provide online streaming of the league's games on an exclusive ABA broadband channel beginning with the 2007-08 season. Throughout the season, which begins November 10th, select regular season and playoff games will be available both live and on-demand via the broadband channel, marking the first time that the ABA will offer online streaming of its basketball games. Web streaming of the games will be on a subscription basis and will initially include approx. 300 games featuring ABA teams in the US, Canada and Mexico. All games will be available internationally. Additional details regarding the schedule and teams will be available upon the start of the season.

"The American and international teams that comprise the ABA are known for both their spirited play and athleticism. We are thrilled to expand the PlayON! Sports portfolio with the ABA, and give basketball fans around the world access to the excitement of the league from the comfort of their computer," said Phil Sharpe, SVP/GM of the PlayON! Sports.

"We are very pleased and proud to be a part of Turner Broadcasting and are excited that we can bring the live action of ABA basketball games worldwide," said Paul Riley, VP of ABA Media. "Fans will be able to see virtually every team in the league, and once they do, they will realize why the ABA has grown as it has. It is fast-paced and exciting basketball - and now the world can see it."

The ABA joins an expanding portfolio of PlayON! Sports properties including the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) and United Soccer League (USL). PlayON! Sports is a division of Turner Sports which operates and manages new media businesses for sports properties, including NASCAR.com, PGATOUR.com, PGA.com.

Turner Sports, Inc., a Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports' line-up includes the NBA, NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, Major League Baseball, college football, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news, entertainment and sports products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

About The American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association, Inc. is an Indiana corporation that is engaged in operating a professional basketball league composed of teams in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ABA is innovative in its approach to bring diverse, family-friendly, exciting basketball to fans. ABA also markets league-related merchandise and other products and is developing or expanding media outlets and ancillary entertainment businesses that complement the league's operations. For more information about the ABA, visit www.abalive.com

NBL: West Sydney sign Troy DeVries, Wollongong ink James Peters -by Gauthier GerardThe West Sydney Razorbacks have finalised their playing roster for the 2007/08 NBL season by signing their second import player, 6-4 shooting guard Troy DeVries (193-G-82, college: N.Mexico). The Wollongong IMB Hawks have finalised their 2007/08 roster by signing the athletic American James Peters (203-F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: UNLV). source: NBL

Troy DeVries has been playing the past season for the North-West Thunder in the SEABL competition and won the South Conference scoring award by averaging 31.3 points per game. This season he had season highs of 48 points on two occasions and 40-plus points on five occasions. Prior to playing for the Thunder, DeVries played basketball at the University of New Mexico, the same University that Australian big man Luc Longley played at. DeVries has also spent time playing professionally overseas in Germany.“Troy is a potent scorer who will add some scoring to our team from outside. He possesses great range and understands how to play the game,” Razorback Head Coach Rob Beveridge said. “Troy trialed with our team last week at our camp in Terrigal and impressed all the coaching staff with his work ethic and enthusiasm. He fits in with the new direction that we are moving towards”.

James Peters has been on trial with the IMB Hawks for the past week and has impressed coaching staff to secure his spot for this season. The 203cm athletic forward has been showcasing his skills the past week and has been a great fit for this club. He brings a strong inside presence, hard work ethic, can run the floor, chases rebounds and his athleticism will rival anyone in the league.“It's great to have James here, I made sure he was the right fit for this team before I made a decision. He has worked hard the past week to prove himself and I think the fans will be very excited to see him take the court,” said head coach Eric Cooks. “He's young, athletic, has a great attitude and has the skills to be a consistent performer in this league. Very happy for him to be with us this season,” he added.

Pat Mills named SEABL Youth Player of the Year -by Gauthier GerardFor the second consecutive season, rising Boomers star Patrick Mills (185-G-88) of the Australian Institute of Sport has been named the winner of the 2007 SEABL East Men Australian Youth Player of the Year. The award recognizes improvement and development in players throughout the 2007 SEABL regular season.source: NBL

With an outstanding 2006/07 season that included traveling to the U/19 World Championships in Serbia and finishing the season as the fourth best in scoring averaging 23.0 points per game and finishing second in assists (5.42apg), Mills was a standout winner. Mills also recorded double-digit points in all but one game this year with a season-high 41points in Round 13 versus Franklin and produced a season-best 11 assists in two games this season. Currently overseas with the Boomers, Mills hopes to claim a spot on the team for the upcoming Oceania Series versus New Zealand before making the move to St. Mary's University in California, USA to commence a college career and hopefully a prospective move into the NBA.

NBL: Adelaide to give Newley an ultimatum -by Gauthier GerardThe Advertiser's Boti Nagy has reported that Adelaide will ask Brad Newley (199-G-85) on Monday to make a definitive decision about his immediate basketball future. The 36ers have been waiting for Newley to decide whether he will stay in Adelaide or pursue European opportunities and are reportedly set to ask the young superstar to indicate one way or the other his preferences for season 2007/08.source: The Advertiser/NBL

"It may well hinge on what Houston (Rockets) advises him to do," Sixers coach Phil Smyth said.Newley recently played in Houston's northern summer pro league in Las Vegas and was drafted by the National Basketball Association's Rockets in June. He is currently concluding a European tour with Australia's national side and will be faced with a tough decision upon his return. Houston wants him back in 12 months so Newley must finalise whether he will spend that in his home town or try his luck on the European circuit."Before Brad went away (with the Boomers) I would've been confident he'd stay with us," Smyth said.Offers from pro teams have since sprung up however after the 22 year-old impressed with the Boomers in Europe, making it vital for the 36ers to get an answer from Newley."We don't know how Brad is thinking right now," Smyth said. "He arrives back on Sunday from Europe and on Monday we'll sit down with him and try and work out some timelines."Smyth said that, if Newley decides to play overseas, Adelaide has two free agent prospects waiting in the wings."Look, Brad is our priority but we have to have a contingency plan in case he has a good opportunity in Europe," Smyth said. "We have spoken to a couple of players who understand the situation but in fairness to them, they've got to make decisions too. We all need to get on with it."Smyth told Nagy the 36ers had not been in contact with Houston and did not know whether the NBA franchise was nudging Newley toward Europe or not."I'd think if Houston said go to Europe, he'd go to Europe," Smyth said. "But we're not sure they've said that or if that'd be in his best interests anyway, if he has playing in the NBA as his ambition."

Cuba handles Barbados in their CBC opener -by Eurobasket NewsCuba - Barbados 93:69Cuban National team recorded the first victory at the CBC championship in Puerto Rico. They toppled Barbados to claim a victorious start to their campaign. Barbados meanwhile fell to 1-1 record in Group B. Barbadian team were well charged with energy after yesterday's win and got off to a better start. They surged ahead while Cuba got used to the atmosphere and led 27:21 after the first frame. Cuban players though did not need too much time to get themselves back into contest and bounced back in the second quarter. They outscored Barbados 24:9 and left for a break in front 45:36. Cuban team continued to domincate the scene in the second half as they rolled to a 26:19 third frame and extended the lead to 16 points. Barbados did not find enough energy to fight back in the final stanza and had to surrender. Allens Duquense topscored for Cuba with 22 points. Mario Moises (194-G-86) added 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Andre Lockhart (183-G-86, college: Rust) and Pearson Griffith (208-C-81, college: Murray St.) produced 16 points apiece for Barbados. Zahir Motara (180-G-81) had 15 points in a loss. Barbados will next take on hosting and still undefeated Puerto Rico today. Cuba will clash with British Virgin Islands later tonight.

Belarusian National Team Got Third Place in Latvia -by Viktar TkachouBelarusian national team continues preparation for the European Championship in Division B, they got to Riga, Latvia for the four teams friendly tournament. Belarusians got one win over New Zealand and occupied the third place. Another two matches with joint Baltic teams were unsuccessful, 32 points behind Latvia and 6 points lost with Lithuania.

First game in Eurobasket 2007 Qualifiers Additional Round for the Lions (Group C) and nice win on Aug. 8th, 2007.On the Lions' side, Axel Hervelle grabbed 16 rebounds (4 offensive, 12 defensive) and had 4 assists while Jef Van der Jonckheyd had 9 boards (2 offensive, 7 defensive). Belgium, led by Coach Eddy Casteels, had a shooting average of 48% while Ukrainians were limited at 27% by the Belgian defense.

Lucky Bosna, Bulgaria lost after OT -by Valentin AnguelovBulgarian Men National Team lost the first game from additional qualifications for EURO 2007. The team led by the coach Titi Papazov failed away at Bosna with the score 71 - 75 after overtime. After regular 40 minutes of play the score was even at 65 apiece.In fully packed arena in Cazin bulgarians were even to their opponent and showed that Bosna is not that big of the favorite. Bulgarian team had a chance to win it at the regular time but couldn't manage to score in the last posession before the final buzz.The captain of Bulgaria Todor Stoykov (198-G/F-77, agency: Interperformances) played like he usually does, but at the end his shot was very close to get in. He was fouled out in the overtime session. On the other end Kenan Bajramovic grabbed few important boards on both ends of the floor and scored crucial baskets to bring the victory for his team.Bulgarians lost the rebounds battle and were able to get 29 overall team rebounds despite they played 45 minutes. Dimitar Anguelov was the best scorer for Bulgaria with 16 points despite he missed most of the friendly games of the national squad before the qualifications. Stoykov added 15 points and 6 rebounds as he scored four 3-pointers as well.American with bulgarian passport Roderick Blakney played well as he ended with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Twin brothers Kaloyan and Deyan Ivanov's played under the basket for most of the game as regular center Tencho Banev was in foul trouble for most of the time. Next game for bulgarian team is this coming saturday in "Universiada" Hall in Sofia when the opponent will be third team from Group A of additional qualifications - Hungary.

Canada defeats hosts in the World University Games opener -by Eurobasket NewsCanada - Thailand 96:43Canada overcame hosting Thailand in the opening game of Group A at the World University Games in Bangkok. The win saw Canadian team occupied the top spot in Group A ladder. North American team faced little problems en route to their victory as they proved the difference early in the game. They outscored Thailand 26:9 in the starting quarter and dominated the game further on. The gap grew to 53:15 mark at halftime and Canada had only to cruise to an overall success at the end. Garry Gallimore (192-G-84, agency: 123 Podium) led all scorers with 20 points, converting 88% from the field, including 2/2 from outside. Neil MacDonald (208-C-84, agency: ACMT) added 18 points and 9 boards in a winning case. Ratdech Kruatiwa topscored for the home side nailing 17 points. Jakkrapan Silapapipat had 10 points in defeat. Canada will face New Zealand in the next round. Thailand takes on New Zealand on August 10.

Dominican Republic - Guyana 99:76Dominican Republic team started their CBC championship campaign with victory. They thrashed Guyana in the opening game in Group A. The outcome in this one was mainly built in the first frame as Dominican Republic players stun their opponents with a 29:13 start. Before Guyana could have recovered from the blow Dominican Republic squad extended the lead to 50:29 at halftime. Guyana team tried to fight back the gap but could not maintain aggressive offensive game from Dominican Republic players and lost the third frame 22:27. Establishing an unassailable 77:51 distance at the beginning of the final stanza Dominican Republic allowed Guyana to celebrate a local success as they won the final part 25:22. Franklin Canales paced Dominican Republic with 26 points. Elpidio Lara contributed 18 points for the winners. Gordon Caliber scored 18 points for Guyana. Sean Powell secured another 15 points in defeat. Dominican Republic dominited the battle under the rims as they pulled down 45 boards, including 14 offensive rebounds. They also shot solid 54% of two-pointers and 43% from outside. Dominican Republic topped Group A and will play against Bahamas tonight. Guyana takes on Antigua tomorrow.

Cuba - Barbados 93:69Cuban National team recorded the first victory at the CBC championship in Puerto Rico. They toppled Barbados to claim a victorious start to their campaign. Barbados meanwhile fell to 1-1 record in Group B. Barbadian team were well charged with energy after yesterday's win and got off to a better start. They surged ahead while Cuba got used to the atmosphere and led 27:21 after the first frame. Cuban players though did not need too much time to get themselves back into contest and bounced back in the second quarter. They outscored Barbados 24:9 and left for a break in front 45:36. Cuban team continued to domincate the scene in the second half as they rolled to a 26:19 third frame and extended the lead to 16 points. Barbados did not find enough energy to fight back in the final stanza and had to surrender. Allens Duquense topscored for Cuba with 22 points. Henry Moises added 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Andre Lockhart and Pearson Griffith produced 16 points apiece for Barbados. Zahir Motara had 15 points in a loss. Barbados will next take on hosting and still undefeated Puerto Rico today. Cuba will clash with British Virgin Islands later tonight.

Puerto Rico - Trinidad and Tobago 93:67Well-crafted team effort from Puerto Rican players ensured their second straight win at the home CBC championship. They defeated Trinidad and Tobago in the second day of action in Caguas. The hosts dominited right from the start and never allowed their opponents to come close. Six Puerto Rican players scored in double figures. Angelo Reyes led the action with 17 points and 12 boards. Peter Fuentes secured 14 points in a win. Trinidad replied with 15 points and 8 rebounds from Jukius Ashby. Puerto Rico remained on top of Group B with a perfect 2-0 record. They will next play against Barbados today. Trinidad fell to 0-2 an faces Cuba tomorrow.

New Coach for Guang Dong -by Robert WangLi Chun jiang (former Guang dong team head coach) would come back to his old team for the new season. Li Qun will go to US for a training since he needs some more experince to coach the team ad learn some new knoledge in the coach position. Du Feng (power forward) will be as assist coach for the new season.

Yang ming came back from China national junior team from BeiJing. He will go back Liao Ning team on August 13th for the new season.

A great support in Spain did not help Croatia U18 against Serbia -by Eurobasket NewsCroatia U18-Serbia U18 81:84 ( 26-17, 14-26, 19-23, 22-18 )

A win over Germany took lots of strength as Croatia lost the first game of the Qualifying Round. Serbia, being the leader of the group beat Croatia 84:81. A good game and a great support by the spectators made the game very interesting. Milan Macvan (206-F/C-89) and Stefan Stojacic (197-G-89) led the winners with 21 points, while Dusan Katnic (193-G-89) added 15. Filip Kruslin (200-G-89) nailed 20 points in the losing effort. Mario Delas (204-F/C-90) netted 17 and Marino Sarlija (205-F/C-89) added 16.

Croatia opened the game with 6 points in a row and thanked the spectators who were chearing loud. Marino Sarlija made the score 23:10 that was a bit of surprise in the court. Croatia held the lead and had 26:17 after the first 10 minutes of the game. In the second Serbia hit their first trey of the game through Nikola Markovic during an 8-0 run at the start of the quarter which turned the game into a contest. Milan Macvan helped the team to take 34:31 lead. Stefan Stojacic with a three put Serbia with 43:40 at the half time. In the third quarter Croatia slowed down. Markovic gave Serbia 53:42 in the middle of the quarter. His team kept 7 points before the final period. With three seconds left and against deafening noise from the crowd Milan Macvan converted his second free throw to give his side a 84:80 lead. Marcinkovic could only reduce to 81:84.

Cuba handles Barbados in their CBC opener -by Eurobasket NewsCuba - Barbados 93:69Cuban National team recorded the first victory at the CBC championship in Puerto Rico. They toppled Barbados to claim a victorious start to their campaign. Barbados meanwhile fell to 1-1 record in Group B. Barbadian team were well charged with energy after yesterday's win and got off to a better start. They surged ahead while Cuba got used to the atmosphere and led 27:21 after the first frame. Cuban players though did not need too much time to get themselves back into contest and bounced back in the second quarter. They outscored Barbados 24:9 and left for a break in front 45:36. Cuban team continued to domincate the scene in the second half as they rolled to a 26:19 third frame and extended the lead to 16 points. Barbados did not find enough energy to fight back in the final stanza and had to surrender. Allens Duquense topscored for Cuba with 22 points. Mario Moises (194-G-86) added 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Andre Lockhart (183-G-86, college: Rust) and Pearson Griffith (208-C-81, college: Murray St.) produced 16 points apiece for Barbados. Zahir Motara (180-G-81) had 15 points in a loss. Barbados will next take on hosting and still undefeated Puerto Rico today. Cuba will clash with British Virgin Islands later tonight.

Michalis Kounounis, ex player of the permanent champion of Cyprus EKA AEL is officially announced by Kolossos Rodou (for more information visit the www.kolossosbc.gr). Kounounis will travel from the one island to the other at the beginning of the next week. for the gifted playmaker from Limassol, this will be his second attempt to play in the Greek league as in the season 2005-2006 tried to play in sporting A2 but unfortunately he had a really bad injury which actually forced him to be nearly the whole season out of the courts. On the contrary in the last season in Cyprus, Michalis helped a lot his ex team to win the fifth championship in the row. He is a passionate player and a leader in the court as he can easily coordinate his team-mates while at the same time he has great sense of the court as he can pass the ball to the open player from the most difficult loop.

*****************************************************CZECH REP.

Czech University team start with loss -by Eurobasket NewsCzech Republic - Serbia 55:91Czech Republic University team had a bitter taste to their start of the World Universiade in Bangkok. They were thrashed by Serbia 55:91 in Group D action. The teams played a close basketball in the opening frame and Czech team trailed by just 2 points 18:20. But things went the wrong way for Czechs in the second quarter as they were outscored 6:25 and lost the first half 24:45. They cut the deficit by 5 points in the third stanza but it was not enough to come within a striking distance. Moreover Serbain players dictated the tempo in the final frame and successfully defended the gap. Vladan Vukosauyevie paced Serbia with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Strahinja Milosevic (203-G/F-85) added 16 points and 8 rebounds. Pavel Houska (201-F-84, agency: PPGroup) scored 10 points and grabbed 7 boards for Czech Republic. Martin Klimes (203-C-83) had 8 points and 5 boards in a losing effort. Serbia were more accurate from the field as they knocked down 50% of field goals. Czech players managed just 42%, including low 13% from beyond the arc. Czech players lost the battle in the paint as Serbia outrebounded them 27:30. Czech Republic will next take on Mexico today. Serbia face Mexico on July 10.

Czech Republic U18 grabbed the second ticket from group A to the Qualifying round in Division B. In the last game of the group not only the win was enough for the team. A 94:78 victory and the Belgium win over Slovakia gave them the second place. Jakub Mikulec (203-F-89) and Jan Spacek (195-F-89) led the winners with 17 points. Jan Vesely (204-F-90) supported them with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Morten Sahlertz (-89) and Rasmus Soeby (-89) scored 50 points together for Denmark.

Denmark, the team with no wins opened the game well. After 18:12 in the end of the first Denmark finished at 18:16. Later on Czech Republic was the team that led the score. At first in the beginning of the second quarter the team tied the game after Jan Vesely made a lay-up, then 44:38 sent the teams to the lockers. In the third quarter the Czechs felt more confident and dominated in the court. Kudlacek with a jump-shot submited a 67:51 advantage. Denmark could bring an intrigue back into the game reducing to 68:79. It was only for some time as Czech Republic finished with 94:78.

Czech Republic U18 grabbed the second ticket from group A to the Qualifying round in Division B. In the last game of the group not only the win was enough for the team. A 94:78 victory and the Belgium win over Slovakia gave them the second place. Jakub Mikulec (203-F-89) and Jan Spacek (195-F-89) led the winners with 17 points. Jan Vesely (204-F-90) supported them with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Morten Sahlertz (-89) and Rasmus Soeby (-89) scored 50 points together for Denmark.

Denmark, the team with no wins opened the game well. After 18:12 in the end of the first Denmark finished at 18:16. Later on Czech Republic was the team that led the score. At first in the beginning of the second quarter the team tied the game after Jan Vesely made a lay-up, then 44:38 sent the teams to the lockers. In the third quarter the Czechs felt more confident and dominated in the court. Kudlacek with a jump-shot submited a 67:51 advantage. Denmark could bring an intrigue back into the game reducing to 68:79. It was only for some time as Czech Republic finished with 94:78.

Ex-Wizard Justin Williams Staying with Sacramento -by Surujh RoopnarineJustin Williams (6'10''-F/C-84, college: Wyoming) has signed a one year qualifying offer to remain with the Sacramento Kings. Originally called up from the Dakota Wizards in January, the ex-Wyoming star averaged 5.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 26 contests with Sacramento last season. His most impressive performance came on April 10th against Memphis where in 31 minutes Williams had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while connecting on 7-9 from the field.Williams was an undrafted free-agent out of Wyoming before being taken with the #5 overall pick of the D-League Draft. In 12 games prior to being called up he averaged 12.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks while shooting 55.6% from the field.A tireless shot blocker, Williams was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006 as well as conference 3rd-Team selection both seasons.

Skyforce hire Tibbetts as Head Coach; McHone heads to Austin -by Eric EricksonAfter their head coach, Morris McHone, was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as Director of Basketball Development for the Austin Toros, the Sioux Falls Skyforce hired their assistant coach, Nate Tibbetts, as their new head coach. Tibbetts has spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Skyforce under Dave Joerger in 2005-2006 (while the team was still in the CBA) and McHone in 2006-2007. Before joining the Skyforce, he was an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at the University of Sioux Falls for four years. Before he got into coaching, Tibbetts played college ball at South Dakota. He is second in USD history in career assists (687) and steals (215). His honors include All-NCC in 2000-2001 and Honorable Mention All-NCC in 1999-2000 and has played on three straight NCC Conference Championship teams. He also played high school ball at Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School.

McHone will be putting together the Toros' roster and managing it in the upcoming 2007-2008 season. According to a recent article in the Sioux Falls newspaper, the Argus Leader, this position is believed to be the first of its kind in the D-League. Last season, McHone coached the Skyforce to a 30-20 record during the regular season, which was good enough for second place in the Eastern Division. The Force went 1-1 in the play-offs, defeating the Fort Worth Flyers in the first round and falling to the eventual D-League champion Dakota Wizards in the division finals. He is the Skyforce's winningest coach of all-time, compiling an overall record of 172-102 in the span of five seasons, winning the CBA championship in 1996. His overall CBA coaching record is 229-168 with three teams, the Birmingham Bandits, the Yakima Sun Kings, and the Skyforce. He won a championship with Yakima in 1995 before joining the Skyforce. McHone also has coaching experience in the NBA. He has served as an assistant coach with the Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 31 games in 1983-1984, McHone served as the Spurs' head coach. He was also the head coach of the Clippers for a brief period between 2001-2003. The Spurs purchased the Toros earlier this summer.

Awvee Storey Signs Multi-Year Deal with Milwaukee Bucks -by Surujh RoopnarineVeteran guard Awvee Storey (6'6''-G/F-77, agency: Priority Sports, college: Arizona St.) may have finally found his chance at NBA success, signing a multi-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. The former Arizona Sun Devil standout has bounced around the NBA with stints in New Jersey and Washington in previous years, Storey spent three games with the Dakota Wizards last season before being dismissed from the D-League after he punched teammate Martynas Andriuskevicius during a Wizards practice session. Storey then headed over to Germany to finish out the season. In his brief stint for the Wizards, Storey averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7steals. Storey was a member of Milwaukee's Summer League squad where he was a strong contributor with averages of 11.0 points and 4.2 rebounds over five games. .

*****************************************************DOMINICAN REP.

Dominican Republic edges Guyana -by Eurobasket NewsDominican Republic - Guyana 99:76Dominican Republic team started their CBC championship campaign with victory. They thrashed Guyana in the opening game in Group A. The outcome in this one was mainly built in the first frame as Dominican Republic players stun their opponents with a 29:13 start. Before Guyana could have recovered from the blow Dominican Republic squad extended the lead to 50:29 at halftime. Guyana team tried to fight back the gap but could not maintain aggressive offensive game from Dominican Republic players and lost the third frame 22:27. Establishing an unassailable 77:51 distance at the beginning of the final stanza Dominican Republic allowed Guyana to celebrate a local success as they won the final part 25:22. Franklin Western (200-F-72, college: Providence) paced Dominican Republic with 26 points. Elpidio Fortuna (186-G-85) contributed 18 points for the winners. Gordon Klaiber (206-F-83, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) scored 18 points for Guyana. Sean Powell secured another 15 points in defeat. Dominican Republic dominited the battle under the rims as they pulled down 45 boards, including 14 offensive rebounds. They also shot solid 54% of two-pointers and 43% from outside. Dominican Republic topped Group A and will play against Bahamas tonight. Guyana takes on Antigua tomorrow.

Division B: The end of the Preliminary Round -by Eurobasket NewsThe Preliminary Round ended up in Sofia as all the teams in four groups played 4 games each. Two best teams from the group advanced to the Qualifying Round, the others went into Classification.

Belgium stayed undefeated in the group with 4-0 record. The win over Slovakia gave Czech Republic the ticket to the next round. Slovak Republic U18 lost the very important game after which the team was sent to the Classification Round. Playing with the leader of the group, Slovakia was defeated by Belgium 56:74. Jorn Steinbach led the winners with 29 points. Jean Mwema (195-F-89) posted 16 points and made 10 rebounds, while Olivier Troisfontaines ended up with 12. Miroslav Kral (189-G-89) top-scored with 23 points and Peter Dorazil finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds for Slovakia. Miroslav Kral with a three gave Slovakia 10 points lead in the second quarter. A 41:27 lead at the half was more than enough to advance. Meanwhile Belgium proved that the team is the leader in teh group and produced a great second half. The team made 17-3 run and Jorn Steinbach gave Belgium 45:44 lead in the end of the third. A 27:7 in the third quarter demolished Slovakia. Belgium won the last 20:8 and the game 74:56. Czech Republic U18 grabbed the second ticket from group A to the Qualifying round in Division B. In the last game of the group not only the win was enough for the team. A 94:78 victory and the Belgium win over Slovakia gave them the second place. Jakub Mikulec and Jan Spacek led the winners with 17 points. Jan Vesely (204-F-90) supported them with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Morten Sahlertz (-89) and Rasmus Soeby scored 50 points together for Denmark.Denmark, the team with no wins opened the game well. After 18:12 in the end of the first Denmark finished at 18:16. Later on Czech Republic was the team that led the score. At first in the beginning of the second quarter the team tied the game after Jan Vesely made a lay-up, then 44:38 sent the teams to the lockers. In the third quarter the Czechs felt more confident and dominated in the court. Kudlacek with a jump-shot submited a 67:51 advantage. Denmark could bring an intrigue back into the game reducing to 68:79. It was only for some time as Czech Republic finished with 94:78.

Poland beat Sweden in group B 83:72 as both teams proceeded to the Qualifying Round. Finland having the same result, 3-1 due to the games with each other went to the Classification Round. The team smashed Armenia 133:37 with 29 points from Antti Kanervo (191-G/F-89).

Ukraine and Bosnia advanced to the next round even before the game with each other as both teams stayed on top with 3-0. Ukraine won the game 71:69 to finish first. Denys Lukashov (187-G-89) led the winners with 21 points. Ireland beat Switzerland 55:49 with Dara McKeon's 22 points.

In group D Montenegro and Hungary qualified the day before as well. In the game between each other Montenegro celebrated a 76:61. Nikola Lalic (188-G-89) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Portugal overcame England 71:65 as Joao Filipe Valente Soares ended up with 17 points.

Latvia U18 won the first game of the Qualifying Round in U18 European Championship. The team remained the undefeated in the tournament defeating Israel 91:78. Only in the last quarter the Baltic team could prove its superiority as Israel led for the whole game. Oskars Virsis (192-G-89) led the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds.Dairis Bertans (191-G-89) (191-G-89) nailed 21, while Janis Kaufmanis (184-G-89) added 16. Anton Shoutvin (206-C-89) top-scored with 24 points and 12 rebounds in the lossing effort.

The first quarter gave the clear idea that Israel having 0-2 in the Round would not lose the gave easily. Israel reached a ten point lead 38:28 with the end of the half approaching. Two three pointers in the last minutes luckily left Latvia in the game.In the second half it looked that Latvia should go on, but Israel stayed tough. Only in the last quarter the team had no strength and realized that it did all the best in the last three. Latvia took a control and led the game to 91:78 win. The victory lifted Latvia to 3-0 to share the first spot with Greece. Israel covres the bottom at 0-3 as well as Estonia.

France U18 increased to 2-1 in the Qualifying Round of U18 European Championship. In the game for the second win in the group both France and Turkey desired it, but France won the battle. Edwin Jackson (190-G-89) paced the winners with 21 points. Christophe Leonard (198-F-90) and Diot supported him with 16 points. Dogus Balbay (184-G-89) ended up with 18 points in the losing effort.

France U18 opened the game with 2-0, but got a three from Melih Mahmutoglu (192-G-90) right after that. The rest of the first quarter was controlled by the French squad that increased to 26:21. The first 10 points advantage the favorites got after Edwin Jackson nailed a jump-shot. He made France to celebrate 41:31 lead. Both squads went to the interims with 48:37. Things got worse for Turkey as from 5:00 in the third quarter they missed seven consecutive shots. France continued to dominate, growing a 69:50 lead to effectively close out the Turks. In the last quarter Turkey scored more the France but it was not enough to win. France improves to 2-1, while Turkey falls at 1-2.

Estonia U18 after a dramatic win over Italians lost the first game of the Qualifying Round. Greece, being the leader of the group downed Estonia 87:56. Konstantinos Koufos (216-C-89) paced the winners with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while Charalampos Giannopoulos (201-F-89, agency: FCM) produced 17 points and 9 rebounds. Siim-Sander Vene (200-F-90) top-scored for the Baltic state with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Henri Polakene (187-G-89) netted 10, while Margus Klementsov (169-G-89) scored 8 points.

Estonia started poor and got 9 consecutive points from the Greek players. The first 2 points Estonia scored only after 3 minutes of the game. Siim-Sander Vene made a jump-shot to cut the lead a little bit. Sloukas gave Greece 27:18 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game. The second quarter was a good one for Estonia as they reduced to 39:35 at the half. That seemed to be the turning point for Greece, who at the start of the third quarter went on a 13-2 run to build a big 52:37 lead. As hard as Estonia could try they trailed 46:63 after three quarters.In the last period Greece did not stop and as a result they increased to 87:56 making it the final score.

It was the third loss for Estonian team in U18 European Championship. The next game the team plays tonight against Israel.

Lithuania U18 stays undefeated in U18 European Championship. In the first game of the Qualifying Round the team downed Russia 79:65. With a tough game throughout the first three quarters Lithuania pushed the tempo in the last. Zygimantas Janavicius (192-G-89) paced the winners with 16 points. Vaidas Cepukaitis (207-C-89) finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Vytenis Lipkevicius (196-F-89) added 14 and Sarunas Vasiliauskas (188-G-89) and Donatas Motiejunas (213-C-90) had 10. Semen Shashkov (202-F-89) top-scored for Russia with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For the team it was the third loss and now they are on the bottom with 0-3.

It was Russian team that started the game being in front. Russia went on a 7-0 run in the opening tip to bring intrigue into the game. After a bright start, however, the Russians just seemed to stop playing and end the quarter 17:12 down as Lithuania came back with an amazing run.In the second quarter tried to increase to 10 points, but satisfied with 36:28 at the half. Vaidas Cepukaitis in the third brought Baltic team 42:32. Pavlov with a jump-shot reduced again to 54:47 before the last quarter. In the fourth period Lithuania was the favorite in the court. The team won the quarter 25:18 and achieved the first win in the Qualifying Round that lifted them to 3-0.

Croatia U18-Serbia U18 81:84 ( 26-17, 14-26, 19-23, 22-18 )A win over Germany took lots of strength as Croatia lost the first game of the Qualifying Round. Serbia, being the leader of the group beat Croatia 84:81. A good game and a great support by the spectators made the game very interesting. Milan Macvan (206-F/C-89) and Stefan Stojacic (197-G-89) led the winners with 21 points, while Dusan Katnic (193-G-89) added 15. Filip Kruslin (200-G-89) nailed 20 points in the losing effort. Mario Delas (204-F/C-90) netted 17 and Marino Sarlija (205-F/C-89) added 16.

Croatia opened the game with 6 points in a row and thanked the spectators who were chearing loud. Marino Sarlija made the score 23:10 that was a bit of surprise in the court. Croatia held the lead and had 26:17 after the first 10 minutes of the game. In the second Serbia hit their first trey of the game through Nikola Markovic during an 8-0 run at the start of the quarter which turned the game into a contest. Milan Macvan helped the team to take 34:31 lead. Stefan Stojacic with a three put Serbia with 43:40 at the half time. In the third quarter Croatia slowed down. Markovic gave Serbia 53:42 in the middle of the quarter. His team kept 7 points before the final period. With three seconds left and against deafening noise from the crowd Milan Macvan converted his second free throw to give his side a 84:80 lead. Marcinkovic could only reduce to 81:84.

Spain U18 improves to 2-1 in the Qualifying Round of the U18 European Championship in their own country. A victory in every quarter gave them 82:56 over Germany. Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) led the winners with 20 points. Pablo Almazan (203-C-89) collected 16 points and made 11 rebounds, while De La Fuente added 15. Elias Harris (200-F-89) top-scored for Germany with 13 points.

The first quarter did not promise a difference in the end of more than 10 points. Spain and Germany stayed close to each other and only 19:17 left spain in front. Spain found its game later in the second and when Xavier Rabaseda (199-G-89) scored two more the advantage became 37:27. Benzing cut it to 42:35 as both teams disappeared in the lockers. The game lost the interest in the third quarter till the end. Spain was too good for the opponents and dominated in the court. Of course it was highly appreciated by the fans who supported their team. The hosts won the third 23:11 and even at that time did not worry about the game. The last quarter was also won by them 17:10 that brought them a first win in the Qualifying Round.

THE DRAW OF THE PAN ARAB GAMES EGYPT 2007 -by Kirolos BeshayThe Draw of the basketball competition was held today with 14 participating countries divided into 3 groups with the secound group that can be called the group of death and it contains lebanon,Algeria,Tunisaia,Qatar and Morocoo while the group of Egypt contains Sudan,Jordan and IraqThe draw :First Group:Egypt,Jordan,Iraq and Sudan.Secound group:Lebanon,Algeria,Qatar,Tunisia and Morocco.Third group:Syria,U.A.E.,Saudi Arabia,Kuwait and Libya.The draw was held in the presence of Mr.Osman Elsaad(Secretary general of the arabic federation of sports),MR Medhat Elbeltagy(Excutive manger of the national council of sports),Dr.Nader Mouhmed Shalby(Assisitant manger of the pan arab games Egypt 2007) and Mr.Mahmoud Ahmed Aly(president of the Egyptian basketball federation)The games will be held from 11 to 25 November,2007

Estonia U18 after a dramatic win over Italians lost the first game of the Qualifying Round. Greece, being the leader of the group downed Estonia 87:56. Konstantinos Koufos (216-C-89) paced the winners with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while Charalampos Giannopoulos (201-F-89, agency: FCM) produced 17 points and 9 rebounds. Siim-Sander Vene (200-F-90) top-scored for the Baltic state with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Henri Polakene (187-G-89) netted 10, while Margus Klementsov (169-G-89) scored 8 points.

Estonia started poor and got 9 consecutive points from the Greek players. The first 2 points Estonia scored only after 3 minutes of the game. Siim-Sander Vene made a jump-shot to cut the lead a little bit. Sloukas gave Greece 27:18 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game. The second quarter was a good one for Estonia as they reduced to 39:35 at the half. That seemed to be the turning point for Greece, who at the start of the third quarter went on a 13-2 run to build a big 52:37 lead. As hard as Estonia could try they trailed 46:63 after three quarters.In the last period Greece did not stop and as a result they increased to 87:56 making it the final score.

It was the third loss for Estonian team in U18 European Championship. The next game the team plays tonight against Israel.

Problems may occur for the Greek funs traveling to Spain for Eurobasket 2007 -by Kostas PapadopoulosAccording to loyal resources of our site, serious problems are going to occur for the Greek funs that have already planned to travel to Spain for the forthcoming Eurobasket 2007. More specifically, the Greek Federation, which has been called the responsible for the demand of Eurobasket's tickets for Greek funs, has ordered at least 3 months ago to the Spanish committee for the tournament the number of 400 tickets, assuming that this number could cover whichever demand from all the people who would like to attend the tournament: sponsors, people from inside the Greek Federation but mostly “The Pelargoi”, a club of Greek funs - supporters who had also traveled to Beograd and Japan during the last two years. It should also be mentioned that the demand from the people of this club exceeded the initial prospected number (about 500 people wanted to make this trip to Granada and Madrid), while about 200 have already paid almost the total sum of the cost of this trip.However, our last information refer that the Spanish committee finally accepted and will supply the Greek Federation with only a small number of tickets which will not exceed fifty (50); thus, it is doubtful whether the whole demand will be successfully covered, counting that the sponsors will certainly be satisfied for their demand. We hope that all the problems will finally be solved and the Greek support to the Greek National Team will be the biggest the possible, such enthusiastic like at the previous tournaments that the team took part at.

*****************************************************FINLAND

INTERNATIONAL: Finland U18 won over Slovakia by one! -by Rauno HurmalainenU18 European Championship Games Men, Division B, Sofia, Bulgaria 3.-12.8.2007: Finland - Slovakia 73-72 (42-42). FIN: Juho-Matti Lehtoranta (191-G-89) 23, Antti Kanervo (191-G/F-89) 21. Matti Nuutinen (191-F-90) made 2/2 FTs, when Finland was down by one and there was seven (7) seconds to go. Antti Kanervo is the leading scorer in Sofia by now (average 23,2 ppg).

KORISLIIGA: Ian Johnson signed with Kouvot -by Rauno HurmalainenAmerican F Ian Johnson (206-F-84, college: Davidson) has signed a 1-year-contract with Kouvot, Kouvola. Johnson played four years on Davidson U. roster averaging every year in double figures in points. Last season Johnson started his professional career in Europe and Spain (Farho Gijon, LEB) averaging 4,9 ppg - 3,4 rpg in 14 contests. In January 2007 Johnson moved to Czech R., where he played in 21 games averaging 14,7 ppg - 5,7 rpg in Liberec (NBL).

France U18 increased to 2-1 in the Qualifying Round of U18 European Championship. In the game for the second win in the group both France and Turkey desired it, but France won the battle. Edwin Jackson (190-G-89) paced the winners with 21 points. Christophe Leonard (198-F-90) and Diot supported him with 16 points. Dogus Balbay (184-G-89) ended up with 18 points in the losing effort.

France U18 opened the game with 2-0, but got a three from Melih Mahmutoglu (192-G-90) right after that. The rest of the first quarter was controlled by the French squad that increased to 26:21. The first 10 points advantage the favorites got after Edwin Jackson nailed a jump-shot. He made France to celebrate 41:31 lead. Both squads went to the interims with 48:37. Things got worse for Turkey as from 5:00 in the third quarter they missed seven consecutive shots. France continued to dominate, growing a 69:50 lead to effectively close out the Turks. In the last quarter Turkey scored more the France but it was not enough to win. France improves to 2-1, while Turkey falls at 1-2.

Zabian Dowdell at Nancy -by Maxime WeberThis guard from Virginia Tech cumuled 17ppg and 3apg last season. He will be, with Pape Amagou, the point guard of Nancy the next season. He can play on the both guard position, has good range as a shooter and he is a hard defender. If Max Zianveni leaves the team, Jean Luc Monschau needs an other player but nobody knows what will do "Air Max".

*****************************************************GERMANY

Heidelberg signed Alexander Starr -by Moritz KorffAlexander Starr (196-F-84, college: Centenary) is the first new import player on the roster of USC Heidelberg (2. Bundesliga Pro A). After claiming the 2005 NJCAA Division One National Championship with the Paris Junior College, Starr transfered to Centenary College (NCAA1), where he spent the remainder of his collegiate career. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.4 steals per contest as a senior.

P4two Ballers land Aaron Fleetwood -by Moritz KorffThe P4two Ballers Osnabrueck (Regionalliga North) signed Aaron Fleetwood (206-F-84, college: Delaware St.) for the upcoming season. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina is 23 years of age and played college-basketball at Delaware State (NCAA1). As a senior he scored 6.3 points per contest and also averaged 3.1 boards and 1.7 blocks for the Hornets, being a teammate of German Florian Pejchar (188-G-82).

New players in Chemnitz -by Moritz KorffAs announced yesterday, Thomas Fairley (206-F/C-82, college: Lamar) has been added to the roster of BV TU Chemnitz (2. Bundesliga Pro A). Meanwhile, another new players has made a deal with the Niners and will join the team of Head Coach Mauricio Parra: Joseph Polite (200-C-84, college: SE Louisiana) is the new man. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for Southeastern Louisiana University (NCAA1) in 30 games of this past season.Also 20-year-old Hendrik Herrmann (200-F) and Patrick Ruelke (F), who is just 16 years of age, landed a spot on the Chemnitz roster. They will mostly come to play in the Niners' second team.

New Playmaker for MBC -by Moritz KorffMitteldeutscher BC (2. Bundesliga Pro A) signed Drew Williamson (183-G-84, college: ODU) as the last newcomer for the upcoming season. He will fill the Playmaker-spot. Williamson spent four years of college-basketball at Old Dominion University (NCAA1). The stats of his senior-season: 33 games: 11 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.3 spg. In 2006 he adavanced to the NIT-Final Four with the Monarchs.

Diachenko from Chemnitz to Dresden -by Moritz KorffVeteran Vladimir Diachenko (182-G-75, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) has found a new club. The 32-year-old German Guard, who spent the past two years in Chemnitz and averaged 2.8 ppg during this past season, is going to suit up for the Dresden Titans (Regionalliga South-East) in the future. It will be the first season in the Regionalliga for the Titans after earning promotion.

Third import player has joined the Magics -by Moritz KorffKeonta Howell (193-G-85, college: Toledo) has been added to the roster of the Duesseldorf Magics (2. Bundesliga Pro A). Howell graduated from The University of Toledo (NCAA1) earlier this year and averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 boards, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals for the Rockets during his final campaign in college.

*****************************************************GREECE

Wednesday's market news -by Chris MammidesA1Olimpiada Patras agreed terms with Ante Grgrevic, ex power forward of AEK Athens and Aris Thesalonikis. AEK Athens will probably announced two players today (latrer in the afternoon) with one of them being -probably- Ibrahim Kutluay!! The otehr one is the French-Malian power forward Amara Sy (202-F-81)Markos Kolokas (203-F-77), ex Maroussi player agreed terms with AEL 1964 for a two years contract.Panionios and Minas Gekos loose the Serbian Nikola Vasic as he has been offered a huge contract from the Russian league. Next target for Gekos will be the Lithuanian center Adanas Kavaliauskas, ex player of Texas A&M College.LA Clippers wants Big Sofo again. Sofoklis Schortsianitis has been called once more from the NBA team LA Clippers. The Los Angeles team want to cover up the injury of their top big Guy Elton Brand and since their salary cup limitation is already in the red line, their easier and “cheapest” path is the Big Sofo, having in mind that Gershon and Big Sofo are not exactly the best friends, one can imagine that there could be another transfer for Olympiakos Piraeus!!Mihalis Tsairelis is one step from Aris Thesalonikis, even though AEK Athens tried to “steal” the player from the Northeners, Mihalis family wants him to stay in the North so 99% he signs with Aris and will probably be given on a lending contract with another team (probably A2).A2Halkida announced the head coach Dimitris Liogas with a contract for two years.Ivan Kuburovic will be the second bosman player of Panorama. Panorama will also get Tsairellis if finally Aris Thesalonikis agrees terms with the talentes player.Ionikos Lamias lost the veteran Slaven Rimac as he will continue his career in KK Zagreb

Problems may occur for the Greek funs traveling to Spain for Eurobasket 2007 -by Kostas PapadopoulosAccording to loyal resources of our site, serious problems are going to occur for the Greek funs that have already planned to travel to Spain for the forthcoming Eurobasket 2007. More specifically, the Greek Federation, which has been called the responsible for the demand of Eurobasket's tickets for Greek funs, has ordered at least 3 months ago to the Spanish committee for the tournament the number of 400 tickets, assuming that this number could cover whichever demand from all the people who would like to attend the tournament: sponsors, people from inside the Greek Federation but mostly “The Pelargoi”, a club of Greek funs - supporters who had also traveled to Beograd and Japan during the last two years. It should also be mentioned that the demand from the people of this club exceeded the initial prospected number (about 500 people wanted to make this trip to Granada and Madrid), while about 200 have already paid almost the total sum of the cost of this trip.However, our last information refer that the Spanish committee finally accepted and will supply the Greek Federation with only a small number of tickets which will not exceed fifty (50); thus, it is doubtful whether the whole demand will be successfully covered, counting that the sponsors will certainly be satisfied for their demand. We hope that all the problems will finally be solved and the Greek support to the Greek National Team will be the biggest the possible, such enthusiastic like at the previous tournaments that the team took part at.

Transfer confirmations -by Chris MammidesAs eurobasket.com wrote earlier on today, AEK Athens announced officially the signing of the Turkish star Ibrahim Kutluay (198-F/G-74) with a 2 years contract. Kutluay will earn from this new contract in Greece around 1.5 million Euros!At the same time, Panionios confirmed and announced officially the Lithuanian center Antanas Kavaliauskas (208-C-84, college: Barton County CC) for one year.

UMCOR U18 European Championship: France - Greece 81-82 -by Chris MammidesThe fourth victory is a fact! In a game which took place few minutes ago for the Hellenic team another victroy with 1 points difference. The game was a real derby from the very beginning and the score was very close nearly in the whole game. This time the French player with Edwin Jackson was in an amazing night scoring 28 points but couldn't overcome the heroic Konstantinos Koufos (216-C-89) who finished the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds.From the Hellenic team top scorers were: Konstantinos Koufos 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 block shots (3 of which in the great Hellenic comeback upon -9 to +1 in less than two minutes!!), Pappas 10 and Matalon 9The next game is very crucial for the Greek NT as they need the victory against the amazing Latvians who beat earlier on the Turkish NT with 73-68 and is currently figuring at the top position while Greece is second having the same record as France 3-1. Greece has to beat Latvia with a score +6 points in order to finish in the top position

*****************************************************GUINEA

Camara signs in Spain -by Kristian SantiagoMohammed Camara signed a pro contract in Spain with CB Torrevieja in the LEB Bronze.The Guinean center is a cousin of Senegal's Babacar Camara (211-C-81, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) and Souleymane Camara (211-F/C-79, agency: ACMT, college: Kentucky) and played previously in the USA for the Las Vegas Venom in the ABA. Before joining the pros, the defensive-minded center had a outstanding career at the Riverside Community College and attended later the San Siego State University for two years.

*****************************************************GUYANA

Dominican Republic edges Guyana -by Eurobasket NewsDominican Republic - Guyana 99:76Dominican Republic team started their CBC championship campaign with victory. They thrashed Guyana in the opening game in Group A. The outcome in this one was mainly built in the first frame as Dominican Republic players stun their opponents with a 29:13 start. Before Guyana could have recovered from the blow Dominican Republic squad extended the lead to 50:29 at halftime. Guyana team tried to fight back the gap but could not maintain aggressive offensive game from Dominican Republic players and lost the third frame 22:27. Establishing an unassailable 77:51 distance at the beginning of the final stanza Dominican Republic allowed Guyana to celebrate a local success as they won the final part 25:22. Franklin Western (200-F-72, college: Providence) paced Dominican Republic with 26 points. Elpidio Fortuna (186-G-85) contributed 18 points for the winners. Gordon Klaiber (206-F-83, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) scored 18 points for Guyana. Sean Powell secured another 15 points in defeat. Dominican Republic dominited the battle under the rims as they pulled down 45 boards, including 14 offensive rebounds. They also shot solid 54% of two-pointers and 43% from outside. Dominican Republic topped Group A and will play against Bahamas tonight. Guyana takes on Antigua tomorrow.

Bodrogi Bau: americans are staying! -by Tamas DeriThe team of Hodmezovasarhely just started to practice this monday, three players were not in the gym. American guard, David Brooks (191-G-82, college: Niagara) will be back the end of August to Hungary, Robert Jarosevics (210-C-82) went back to Szombathely - if Falco or any other team will not sign him, he should come back to the team - and Gabor Drahos's (187-G-79) daughter was born, so the hungarian guard got some days free!Even Eric Freeman (206-C-79, college: Ky Wesleyan) re-signed with Bodrogi Bau, the shoulder of the american player got healthy, so he will be on the court in October already!

Falco KC: two forwards signed! -by Tamas DeriThe management of FALCO KC Szombathely just got the one year deal done with lithuanian power forward, Arnas Kazlauskas (204-C/F-76, agency: Court Side)! The 31years old player is very experienced, played in Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Greece, Switzerland and Ukraine!He played last season with the team of Cherkassy in Ukraine and also in Eurocup Challenge where he averaged 13.1ppg, 3.1rpg, 4ast, 2FGP: 94.1%, 3FGP: 51.4%, FT: 72.7% in 8 games!

Even Csaba Borszeki (208-C-80, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) re-signed with the team for the next season! He did not have a very great last season - 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg - and was thinking about to go back to his ex-team MAFC in Budapest but decided to stay in Szombathely!

*****************************************************IBL

Explosion Re-Sign Coach Redwine -by Trask FrostEverett, WA—General Manager Brad Sturlaugson announced Tuesday that the Explosion Basketball Team has re-signed Head Coach Randy Redwine for the 2008 season. “It was an incredibly successful inaugural season, both on and off the court, and Randy was a big part of that. Randy has the ability to attract quality players from all over the world, and brings a vast knowledge of the game with him to the court every day. The Explosion is proud to have him back for another campaign,” said Sturlaugson.

When reached for comment, Redwine stated, “I am very excited to continue my mission with the Explosion. After having time to reflect on the last season, I feel that the Explosion had a very successful team, one that showed we belong with the top teams in the league. The players deserve a great deal of respect for their dedication and commitment to the organization. By the fourth game I knew we had something special. After traveling to Colorado and splitting [two games] with a quality team on the road, it showed me that we were ready to challenge the elite teams in the IBL. I predict that next year's Explosion team will be more experienced with some new players. There will be an added rivalry with the new Bellingham [Slam, formerly of the ABA], to challenge for the Western superiority”.

Coach Redwine led the Explosion to a 16-4 record in their inaugural season, holding the best winning percentage in the International Basketball League Western Region. For more information on the team, visit www.ExplosionBasketball.net or call 425.339.BALL. For more information on the International Basketball League, visit www.iblhoopsonline.com.

*****************************************************ISRAEL

Israel NT won in Denmark -by Elad ZeeviIt wasn't easy, but at the end - it's the bottom line that counts. Israel NT didn't play very well today against Denmark, at keast during the first 3 quarters, but intensive finish was enough for an important road win in the first game of "the last chance" tournament" (72-60 in the end).After three quarters it was a tied game, and it looked like it could go either way, but a few good minutes from Dror Hagag (178-G-78), Lior Eliyahu (205-F-85) and Amit Tamir (208-C-79, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: California) gave Israel the break they needed. Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) finished the game as Israel leading scorer with 19 points, Elyiahu chipped 14, while Tamir finished the game with 11. the next opponent will be Ukraine, who suffered a massive lost against Belgium.

Latvia U18 won the first game of the Qualifying Round in U18 European Championship. The team remained the undefeated in the tournament defeating Israel 91:78. Only in the last quarter the Baltic team could prove its superiority as Israel led for the whole game. Oskars Virsis (192-G-89) led the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds.Dairis Bertans (191-G-89) (191-G-89) nailed 21, while Janis Kaufmanis (184-G-89) added 16. Anton Shoutvin (206-C-89) top-scored with 24 points and 12 rebounds in the lossing effort.

The first quarter gave the clear idea that Israel having 0-2 in the Round would not lose the gave easily. Israel reached a ten point lead 38:28 with the end of the half approaching. Two three pointers in the last minutes luckily left Latvia in the game.In the second half it looked that Latvia should go on, but Israel stayed tough. Only in the last quarter the team had no strength and realized that it did all the best in the last three. Latvia took a control and led the game to 91:78 win. The victory lifted Latvia to 3-0 to share the first spot with Greece. Israel covres the bottom at 0-3 as well as Estonia.

Veteran Kraidy joins CB Prat -by Kristian SantiagoOne of the most prominent players in the last decades of Ivorian basketball moved from Italy to Spain and joined CB Prat for the upcoming season.Jean-Marc Kraidy (201-F-76, agency: World Sport Agency), the ABC-veteran recently played at the All Africa Games and is returning for another year in European basketball.

*****************************************************JAPAN

Japan spoils the opening day for Ukraine -by Eurobasket NewsJapan - Ukraine 63:53Japanese team got to a perfect start of their Univeriade campaign as they rallied past Ukraine in Bangkok. The teams kept it close early in game as they drawn at 19 after the first quarter. However Japanese players gradually took the initiative and drove to a 36:34 lead at halftime. The breakthrough for Asian team came in the third quarter when Takumi Ishizaki (188-G-84) drained a couple thre pointers and Joji Takeuchi reigned under the rims to lift Japan to a 13-point advantage 57:44. Ukraine managed to limit Japanese offensive effort in the final stanza but it was not enough for an overall success. Japan sealed their first victory and topped Group C ladder. Shohei Kikuchi (-G) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) provided 16 points apiece to lead Japan. Takumi Ishizaki contributed 14 points for the winners. Leonid Stefanyshyn (-85) was the only Ukrainian player to score in double digits. He nailed game-high 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Oleksandr Panchenko (184-G-84) added 8 points and 5 rebounds in defeat. Ukraine dominated the boards 37:28 but lacked accuracy from the field and committed too many turnovers. They converted just 36% of field goals and lost the ball 23 times. Japan responded with only 13 turnovers and shot with 39% accuracy. Japan will now face Brazil on Day 2 of action. Ukraine faces Brazil on August 10.

Latvia U18 won the first game of the Qualifying Round in U18 European Championship. The team remained the undefeated in the tournament defeating Israel 91:78. Only in the last quarter the Baltic team could prove its superiority as Israel led for the whole game. Oskars Virsis (192-G-89) led the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds.Dairis Bertans (191-G-89) (191-G-89) nailed 21, while Janis Kaufmanis (184-G-89) added 16. Anton Shoutvin (206-C-89) top-scored with 24 points and 12 rebounds in the lossing effort.

The first quarter gave the clear idea that Israel having 0-2 in the Round would not lose the gave easily. Israel reached a ten point lead 38:28 with the end of the half approaching. Two three pointers in the last minutes luckily left Latvia in the game.In the second half it looked that Latvia should go on, but Israel stayed tough. Only in the last quarter the team had no strength and realized that it did all the best in the last three. Latvia took a control and led the game to 91:78 win. The victory lifted Latvia to 3-0 to share the first spot with Greece. Israel covres the bottom at 0-3 as well as Estonia.

Lithuania proves strong against USA University team -by Eurobasket NewsLithuania - USA 97:63Lithuania University team had a victorious start to the World Universiade in Thailand. They cruised past USA in the first encounter in Group B. Lithuanian players marked their dominance in the first frame edging North American team 32:10. They extended the gap to massive 57:27 at halftime. USA showed some signs of revival in the third quarter as they controled the tempo and enjoyed a 22:20 success. But Lithuania returned smashing in the final 10 minutes and proved their favourite status stunning USA 20:14. Michailas Anisimovas (211-C-84) scored 18 points for Lithuania. Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) delivered 15 points in a winning effort. Carlton Reed (193-G, college: Iowa) secured 15 points for USA. Adam Koch (203-F) had 12 points in a defeat. Lithuania controlled the boards with 37:23. They shot impressive 56% from the field and limited USA to 36% accuracy. Both teams committed 15 turnovers. Lithuania will now face Angola in today's action. USA will take on Angola tomorrow.

Early signings -by Alexis KrepsBBC Nitia Bettembourg resigns Phil Grant (202-G/F-79, college: Iona) for the 2007-2008 season. The 28 years-old and 2,02 m tall Grant, who helped his team move up to the first Division AKA the Diekirch League. He now has the unenviable job to keep the team up.

AS Soleuvre has a new foreign player. John Francis Smith (203-F/C-81, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Staten Island) will be the big guy that they hope will lead the team into the playoffs. The 26 years-old and 2,03 m tall US-player played for Sisu Copenhagen last season and averaged 19,1 points and 10,5 rebounds in 22 games. He can play as a power forward and a center.

Signings, Luxbasket camp signings -by Alexis KrepsAaron Williams 2.03m signed to play for T71 Dudelange. The rookie player has big shoes to fill and a huge challenge ahead of him. T71 this year will be looking to follow their great playoff run taking them to the finals last season.

Bart Tooms (211-C-83) and Dwayne Smith (191-G-80, college: Eckerd) both signed to play in Estonia for BC Rakvere Tarvas . They were both signed after showing their skills at the Luxbasket camp 2007. Dwayne Tiny Smith has made a huge leap no pun intended. After playing here in Luexmbourg for Etzella Ettelbruck now will have the opportunity to showcase his skills on a higher level.

Attitudes for Success -by Steve OlenickRomeo Travis and Dru Joyce III were a dynamic duo on the basketball court playing for the University of Akron. Both have played together since their early childhood days. Now, for the first time, they will be playing apart from one another professionally. Romeo will be playing for Alerta Cantabria Lobos in Spain, whereas Dru will be playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.

Both have goals to play at the highest professional leagues possible, and would welcome the opportunity to one day reunite with childhood friend Lebron James within the NBA.

Romeo was an explosive power forward in college. Professionally, he will play as a small forward, and his game should translate well overseas. One could argue that if his game develops as it did at the University of Akron, the former Mid American Conference Player of the Year should garner attention from the NBA. “I am confident that I can play within the NBA, however, the Cavs Summer League taught me a lot, and I will have to learn and develop my game as a small forward, but I will do whatever it takes to get my game to where it has to be.”

Romeo added, “It is you in the gym when you are a professional athlete, I will get better and develop into a dominant small forward, this is my job.” Romeo's game will enable him to showcase his all around skills and will definitely be a fan favorite in Spain. “I will work hard everyday and help the team win.”

Like Romeo, Dru has his sights set on one day playing at the highest professional level. Dru is a proficient point guard, who does not get rattled by pressure situations. Dru is an unselfish playmaker who looks to distribute the ball first and control the tempo of the game.

He should do very well overseas, and if he continues to develop his game, it would not surprise anyone that the NBA will give him a strong look.

In college, Dru's court vision and unselfish play allowed him to post an astounding 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and he should be able to continue this play as a professional in Germany.

Dru adds, “I like to get all of my teammates involved and get them the ball. I look to distribute the ball first, and then finish when I have to finish.”

Romeo and Dru will take their games overseas for the time being, but it may be for only a short time. Both have worked on their game throughout the summer, and the NBA could be in the near distant future for both of these college teammates.

However, in the meantime, Romeo and Dru will dazzle the fans, work day and night on their games and help their clubs win. This attitude for success and passion for basketball will enable both of these individuals to have successful careers as professional athletes.

The Boston Globe is reporting on its web site that the Celtics will sign Pollard to a one-year deal worth the NBA's minimum for a veteran player - $1.2 million.

Pollard will add much needed depth after a busy offseason in which the Celtics have traded away seven players from this past season's roster in order to land the star duo Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pollard's deal will give the Celtics 12 players under contract, still one shy of the league's minimum.

Pollard was with Eastern Conference champions the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, but was a minor contributor off the bench, averaging of 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game. He appeared in 24 games.

The 32-year-old owns career averages of 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds since being drafted 19th overall by Detroit in 1997. Most of those points were scored for Sacramento, where he spent five seasons.

His best season was 2001-02 when he averaged 7.1 rebounds and 6.4 points with the Kings.

(Source: Boston Globe)

*****************************************************NCAA

Attitudes for Success -by Steve OlenickRomeo Travis and Dru Joyce III were a dynamic duo on the basketball court playing for the University of Akron. Both have played together since their early childhood days. Now, for the first time, they will be playing apart from one another professionally. Romeo will be playing for Alerta Cantabria Lobos in Spain, whereas Dru will be playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.

Both have goals to play at the highest professional leagues possible, and would welcome the opportunity to one day reunite with childhood friend Lebron James within the NBA.

Romeo was an explosive power forward in college. Professionally, he will play as a small forward, and his game should translate well overseas. One could argue that if his game develops as it did at the University of Akron, the former Mid American Conference Player of the Year should garner attention from the NBA. “I am confident that I can play within the NBA, however, the Cavs Summer League taught me a lot, and I will have to learn and develop my game as a small forward, but I will do whatever it takes to get my game to where it has to be.”

Romeo added, “It is you in the gym when you are a professional athlete, I will get better and develop into a dominant small forward, this is my job.” Romeo's game will enable him to showcase his all around skills and will definitely be a fan favorite in Spain. “I will work hard everyday and help the team win.”

Like Romeo, Dru has his sights set on one day playing at the highest professional level. Dru is a proficient point guard, who does not get rattled by pressure situations. Dru is an unselfish playmaker who looks to distribute the ball first and control the tempo of the game.

He should do very well overseas, and if he continues to develop his game, it would not surprise anyone that the NBA will give him a strong look.

In college, Dru's court vision and unselfish play allowed him to post an astounding 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and he should be able to continue this play as a professional in Germany.

Dru adds, “I like to get all of my teammates involved and get them the ball. I look to distribute the ball first, and then finish when I have to finish.”

Romeo and Dru will take their games overseas for the time being, but it may be for only a short time. Both have worked on their game throughout the summer, and the NBA could be in the near distant future for both of these college teammates.

However, in the meantime, Romeo and Dru will dazzle the fans, work day and night on their games and help their clubs win. This attitude for success and passion for basketball will enable both of these individuals to have successful careers as professional athletes.

Berg to NYIT -by Kaare VangenOne of the best newcomers in BLNO last season, shooting guard Daniel Berg (193-G-86) from 3B, is going to play college hoops for NYIT. He will probably meet Anette Johansen (178-F-82, college: New York Tech) who has played two seasons for the ladies' team. Nice move for Berg, one attraction less in BLNO. But also a chance for a new player to prove his value to the 3B team.

*****************************************************PHILIPPINES

Norwood to play in Brunei Cup 2007 -by Hector SantosGabriel Norwood (196-G/F-85) will play under the SEAG-bound RP Harbour Centre National Team in the 7th Brunei Cup Basketball Championship this coming August 25 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

Norwood's name was listed in the tournament's official website along with other former pro and amateur players like Ato Morano, Chico Lanete, Jeffrey Chan, Dennis Daa, Eric Dela Cuesta, Joshua Urbiztondo, Chad Alonzo, Jason William, Beau Belga, Erick Rodriguez, Christian Coronel, Jerwin Gaco, Allan Salansang and Robert Sanz that will play in the prestigious annual basketball tournament which offers a grand total prize of B$35,000, biggest in the region so far.

Curiously not listed in the line-up is current PBL's MVP Jason Castro.

Norwood, who will likely to play in Philippine Basketball League, is still consulting with its agent and weighing up options whether to apply for PBA next year or to play in US or Europe after carrying the national colors in the coming South East Asian Games in Thailand.

Brunei Cup this year will be considered as the most competitive in its tournament history after the confirmation of Australia's National Basketball League expansion squad Singapore Slingers to join the tournament. Other teams that will also give hard time for the RP Harbour Centre NT bid are last years runner-up Darwin Airport Resort All-Stars, Jordan All-Stars which will be reinforced by a number of Jordan national team members that competed recently in the W.Jones Cup and the Asian Championship in Japan, PBA's Sta Lucia Realty, and Korean Basketball League's LG Sakers which will be bannered by its two American imports.

Portugal trying to achive 9th place in European U-18 -by Bruno BaltazarPortuguese team in European U-18 division B in Sofia will now compete for places between 9th and 16th place.In the second phase of competition, Portugal was placed in group H, together with the Ireland, Luxemburg and Norway.Portugal already played Norway, in the first phase of the competition, being successful for 94-78. This result counts for the second phase and, Portugal has already a victory, without entering in field. The set guided for Arthur Lima will confrot Luxemburg (today) and Ireland (thursday). Later, consonant the classification, Portugal will measure forces with one of the four selections of group G: Finland, Slovakia, Austria or Holland. Portugal fails the goal to be between the eight first teams and it does not repeat bronze of the last year. The heading goes to be argued by Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Czeck Republic, Montenegro, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungria.

Portugal in Rio Maior -by Bruno BaltazarWith the Eurobasket to come close itself, Portugal working and players had concentrated themselves today in the Center of Periods of training in Rio Maior, where they go to carry through two daily practises, until August the eleventh. In the details of this notice, we leave the list of the players convoked for this share, in the end of which will be known the 13 athletes who will go to participate in the next portuguese Portugal game against Spain.Filipe da Silva - (Los Barrios) Miguel Minhava - (Benfica) Mario Fernandes - (Espanha) Jose Costa - (CAB) Paulo Simao - (Belenenses) Paulo Cunha - (Porto) Sergio Ramos - (Espanha) Carlos Andrade - (Benfica) Joao Gomes - (Barreirense) Joao Santos - (Valladolid - Espanha) Francisco Jordao - (Petro - Angola) Miguel Miranda - (Ovarense) Elvis Evora - (Ovarense) Jorge Coelho - (Espanha) Nuno Cortez - (Ovarense)

Vamonos!! Puerto Rico- Trinidad & Tobago 93-67 -by Alessandro FontanaPuerto Rico won the second game in the Caribbean Tournament 2007 against Trinidad & Tobago.It was an exciting game, "The Boricuas" played an intelligent game and they won deservedly. Trinidad could contrast Puerto Rico only for two quarters (56-37), after that the power and the talent of the Boricuas was too high and the game was strictly in the hands of Puerto Rico.The best scorer was Angelo Reyes with 17 pts (12rebs). "El Jefe" Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: USC)(11pts) played a great match especially in the first quarters when Trinidad was still in the game.To mention the game of Jose Barea with 10 pts and 8 assits. The Best scorer for Trinidad was Julius Ashby (15pts+ 8reb)

The next game it will be Puerto Rico against Barbados, another important match for our Boricuas to show "the magic" of the game.

Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) was too much to handle as he added 9 rebounds to go along with his game high 38 points to put a dent in Qatar's Olympic dream. Qatar had trouble containing him all game.

With 1:58 left in the 3rd quarter, and the score at 64-53, Lebanon's center, Joe Vogel (211-C-73, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Colorado St.), had to leave the game after getting injured and drawing blood; he finished with 14 points. However, Qatar couldn't capitalize on the absence of Vogel, as El Khatib raised his game even higher and carried Lebanon to victory. Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) lead Qatar with 19, while Daoud Musa (193-G-82) added 14 in a losing effort.

Qatari coach Ed Andrist assumed full responsibility for the loss; "I accept it was the failure of the coaching staff, but having said that, I must give full marks to them." Qatar must now quickly regroup and see if they have what it takes to be Asian champions, as they face another tough test against Iran tomorrow. Andrist echoed similar comments, "The true test of character of our team will come tomorrow. If we can play at our best.” Another defeat will end any hope that Qatar has of making it to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Lebanon take on China-Taipei, who lost to Iran 76-64 in an earlier game today.

*****************************************************RUSSIA

Russia beats Finland in Bangkok -by Eurobasket NewsRussia - Finland 86:44Russian University team started World Univeriade campaign with a comprehensive victory. They cruised past their northern neighbours Finland 86:44 in Group E action. Russian players gained a 23:13 lead after the first frame. But the real blow for Finnish squad came in the second quarter when Russia limited their offense to just 3 points and outscored them 23:3. Therefore Russia piled up a 46:16 advantage at halftime. They never stopped in the third quarter as shots kept on dropping and Finnish defence simply collapsed allowing 33 points. Russia enjoyed a 79:24 dominance at the start of the final stanza and let the bench players to log some minutes on the court. Finland capitalized on it cutting the deficit to a respectable figures.Evgeni Voronov (192-G-86) led Russia with 18 points. Andrey Komarovskiy provided 15 points and 6 steals. Finland were paced by Anselmi Vanjoki (193-G-88) with 8 points. Samuel Haanpaa (203-G-86) netted 7 points in a loss. Russian players converted 55% from the field, including 50% from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded their opponents 29:16. Russia will next play against Chinese Taipei on August 10.

#4 BC Howren 81 #5 BC Knicks-2 78...BC Howren was on fire in the first half, hitting 11 threes as a team. They led 47-34 at the half and by as many as 22 in the second half. But, the Knicks-2 made a stirring comeback, actually took the lead on a Jonathan Johnson layin with 1:02 to go, but Mike Howren drilled a three to put his team back up. Then, the Knicks went back up on a three by Jarmond Bailey. Again, BC Howren got another three from Junior Gonzales. And, the Knicks could not answer again, as Mike Howren got two freethrows to put his team up three. Eddie Lee Wilkins missed a shot to tie at the buzzer. Ricky James led the Knicks with 25 points, while Johnson and Mike Frazier both had 13 and Wilkins 11. Howren downed 31 in the win, while Eric Jarvis had 15, Gonzales 13, Chad Murray 12 and Mark Ezell 10. The Knicks-2 end the season, while BC Howren will move on to face the West Division's #1 Seed in ServPro-2. A tall order for BC Howren.

EAST DIVISION BRACKET:

#4 Future Entertainment 91 #5 Men of Trin 76...

Future Entertainment fought off the Men of Trin, in a tough 91-76 win, to advance to the B-League's Final Eight. Future led the whole way, but had to counter several Trinity runs in the second half. After going up by 14 at one juncture, Future let Trinity climb back in it. Trinity finaly cut the score down to 67-64 on a Jaron Applin dribble-drive. But, Trinity went cold and Future pulled away with several key buckets by Mike Reynolds and Darrell Wilkins. Future made the final score look worse than it was, by going eight of eight from the line in the final 30 seconds. Dexter Shaw hit 6-6 for Future. Applin led Trinity with 20 points, while Ivan Jones hit 19, Darien Ulmers 17, Richard Green 12 and Johnny Washington seven. For Future, Mike Reynolds and Shaw finished with 22 each, while Wilkins got 15, Demetrius Gibbons 13 and Ced Ward 11.

SEBL City B-League Quarter-finals are set for Thursday Aug. 9th at Aubrey Street Gym:

Morrow, Georgia (Aug. 7, 2007) - One thing you can be sure of when comes Tournament time in the SEBL... won-loss records don't count for much. The Speedboys, coming at 2-6, upset the higher seeded and defending Champs, the BC Lakers. Tri-County who was 0-5 at one point in the season, are now in the SEBL Quarter-finals. The SEBL Metro playoff bracket can be viewed at... http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=236689&tclass and Games summaries are below...

SEBL SOUTH DIVISION PLAYOFF BRACKET 1ST ROUND RESULTS:

#6 ATLANTA SPEEDBOYS 57 #3 BC Lakers 48...The Speedboys came to play on this night and upset the #3 seeded BC Lakers. From wire-to-wire, the Speedboys looked like a team in command, not like the 2-6 record they came into the playoffs with. With several tough losses in the regular season, and some erratic offense, the Speedboys started the playoffs precariously. But, the inclusion of Brandon Kelley to the lineup has really paid off. Kelley came over to the Speedboys from the Metro Stars during the last week. Marcus Byams stepped out of the post, to hit 2 crucial treys in the 1st half, to help the Speedboys to a good start. The Lakers fell behind by as many as 8, but battled back to go into the half only down 32-31. In the second, the Speedboys were able to keep their lead through ball control and attacking the basket. They make only 5 field goals, but went 14-20 from the line, for the bulk of the offensive production. The Lakers tied the score several times, but could never get over the hump. An untimely drought by the Lakers, allowed the Speedboys to pull out to a 10 point spread. In the final minute, the Lakers threatened by cutting the score to 52-48 when Trey Goss split the lane for a bucket, and Brian Kelly got a couple of free throws. But, the Speedboys anwered at the line with true shots from Brewster and Corey McGowan. Byams provided the offensive spark with 16 points, but Kelley instilled a sense of aggression and balance through out the game, as he scored 11 points, on 4-8 shooting, grabbed 3 huge rebounds and got 2 steals. Billy Brewster, though 3-12 from the field for 11 points, snatched 11 boards for the Speedboys. Kelly and Goss led the Lakers with 12 each. Mike Sloan was held to 6, on 3-9 shooting. The Lakers end the season at 5-4 overall, after enjoying an unblemished championship season last summer. The Speedboys, 3-6 overall, will move on to face DOTS, 6-2, and the SEBL Metro South #1 ranked club.

#2 BLACK MONOP 64 #7 GORDON HIGHLANDERS 41...

Black Monop starts a little slow, before getting the engines running and blowing past the Highlanders, 64-40. Gordon got out to an early 5-0 lead, and later lead 9-4. Black Monop got going and went on a 17-4 run going into the break. LT Lockett got things going with seven points in a 3-minute stretch of the first half. BM led 26-13 at the break. Gordon could not keep up, as BM started the 2nd half on a 13-4 streak. Terico Smothers and Gavin Montgomery controlled the 2nd half, each scoring 11 points, as Monop just rode the wave to victory. Mario Cromer and Brian Davis each had 10 points, for Gordon while Deon Shamburger had eight. Davis also grabbed eight rebounds. For BM, Montgomery finished with 15 pts and 6 rebounds, Smothers 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals and LT Lockett 14 points. Gordon ends the season winless, while the 7-2 Black Monop squad advances to take on the upstart Atlanta Speedboys on Thursday night at 8:00pm.

#4 Tri-County 2 #5 Metro Stars 0...

The Tri-County Crusaders had about an easy of a game as possible in round one. The Metro Stars decided not to show up for the game, giving the Crusaders, now 4-5, the automatic win. Tri-County, who has been one of the hottest teams in the SEBL, since starting the summer at 0-5, now advances to take on #1 seeded DOTS on Thursday at 7:00pm. Metro, comprised mainly of Oxford College players, for the second straight summer has fizzled to a no-show team and subsequently will not be allowed to return to the SEBL.

Dynamo Moscow inked PG Aleksandar Rasic -by Dragan JankovskiPoint guard of Serbian National Team Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) put his signature on the 2+1 years contract with Russian Dynamo Moscow whose head coach is well respected Svetislav Pesic - Kari. Rasic started last season in FMP Zeleznik and with them won National Cup of Serbia and was MVP of the final tournament. Later he moved to Turkish giant Efes Pilsen from Istanbul and in 5 games in Turkish league averaged 3.8 ppg, 2 rpg and 4.8 apg. Rasic played last three seasons in FMP and became the champion of Adriatic league 2006. FMP also won National Cup of Serbia and Montenegro 2005. Rasic was a member of U20 NT on European Championship in Brno and also of U21 NT on Global Games in Dallas.

Dynamo Moscow is placed into group F for ULEB Cup 2007-2008 so one of their rivals at the first stage will be Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade.

EC U18: Serbia won against Croatia 84:81 -by Dragan JankovskiSerbian U18 NT remain undefeated on the U18 European Championship in Spain. This time they beat Croatia 84:81 in the first game of qualifying group F so they are together with Lithuania on the top with 3 wins. Croatia took control against Serbs in the first quarter making 23:10 in 8th minute but for the next 7 minutes Serbia equalized 29:29. In 27th minute, thanks to Stefan Stojacic, Serbia made 61:47 what was unreachable for Croatia until the end. Center Milan Macvan (206-F/C-89) almost recorded double-double 21 points and 9 rebounds while Stefan Stojacic (197-G-89) scored 21 points. Serbia also got 15 points from Dusan Katnic (193-G-89) while Filip Kruslin (198-G-89) posted 20 for Croatia.

Slovak Republic U18 lost the very important game after which the team was sent to the Classification Round. Playing with the leader of the group, Slovakia was defeated by Belgium 56:74. Jorn Steinbach (180-G-89) led the winners with 29 points. Jean Mwema (195-F-89) posted 16 points and made 10 rebounds, while Olivier Troisfontaines (-89) ended up with 12. Miroslav Kral (189-G-89) top-scored with 23 points and Peter Dorazil (198-C-89) finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds for Slovakia.

It was a pleasure to see that Slovakia playing with the favorite and a leader of the group tooik the lead. Peter Dorazil with a free throw gave 5-0 start for the team. Slovak Republic stayed in front with 20:14 after the first period. Miroslav Kral with a three gave Slovakia 10 points lead in the second quarter. A 41:27 lead at the half was more than enough to advance.Meanwhile Belgium proved that the team is the leader in teh group and produced a great second half. The team made 17-3 run and Jorn Steinbach gave Belgium 45:44 lead in the end of the third. A 27:7 in the third quarter demolished Slovakia. Belgium won the last 20:8 and the game 74:56.

Spain U18 improves to 2-1 in the Qualifying Round of the U18 European Championship in their own country. A victory in every quarter gave them 82:56 over Germany. Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) led the winners with 20 points. Pablo Almazan (203-C-89) collected 16 points and made 11 rebounds, while De La Fuente added 15. Elias Harris (200-F-89) top-scored for Germany with 13 points.

The first quarter did not promise a difference in the end of more than 10 points. Spain and Germany stayed close to each other and only 19:17 left spain in front. Spain found its game later in the second and when Xavier Rabaseda (199-G-89) scored two more the advantage became 37:27. Benzing cut it to 42:35 as both teams disappeared in the lockers. The game lost the interest in the third quarter till the end. Spain was too good for the opponents and dominated in the court. Of course it was highly appreciated by the fans who supported their team. The hosts won the third 23:11 and even at that time did not worry about the game. The last quarter was also won by them 17:10 that brought them a first win in the Qualifying Round.

Two differents news in spanish market. Iurbentia Bilbao, name this season of Lagun Aro, adds another player in its roster, Xavi Lopez (191-G-83, agency: Court Side), formerly member of Joventut youth's teams and four years in USA, two in Chemeketa Community College and last two seasons in Point Loma Nazarene College, Lopez leaded European Championship U18 in 1999, and in fact, Iurbentia Bilbao keeps the minimum of spanish players in its roster (four).

Canada defeats hosts in the World University Games opener -by Eurobasket NewsCanada - Thailand 96:43Canada overcame hosting Thailand in the opening game of Group A at the World University Games in Bangkok. The win saw Canadian team occupied the top spot in Group A ladder. North American team faced little problems en route to their victory as they proved the difference early in the game. They outscored Thailand 26:9 in the starting quarter and dominated the game further on. The gap grew to 53:15 mark at halftime and Canada had only to cruise to an overall success at the end. Garry Gallimore (192-G-84, agency: 123 Podium) led all scorers with 20 points, converting 88% from the field, including 2/2 from outside. Neil MacDonald (208-C-84, agency: ACMT) added 18 points and 9 boards in a winning case. Ratdech Kruatiwa topscored for the home side nailing 17 points. Jakkrapan Silapapipat had 10 points in defeat. Canada will face New Zealand in the next round. Thailand takes on New Zealand on August 10.

England U18 completes the preliminary round winless -by Eurobasket NewsEngland U18 - Portugal U18 65:71England did not manage to post a single victory at the preliminary round of the U18 European championship in Sofia. They were beaten by Portugal in the last round of action in Group D. The loss saw English team fell to 0-4 record and they would play in the classification round. Both teams exchanged the blows early in the game and England enjoyed a narrow 11:9 lead midway through the first frame. But Portugal used a bunch of accurate free throws to surge ahead 16:13 at the end of the first frame. Samuel Fernley drained a three pointer 84 seconds into the second quarter to give England a 23:22 advantage. However Portugal once again recovered quicky as they replied with a 10:0 run to clear off to a 32:23 distance. They secured the gap and led by 14 points at halftime 39:25. England remained at a striking distance during the third quarter and managed to come within 4 points at the end of the stanza. Patrick Nyeko (-89) scored 4 straight points to put England as close as 42:46. The distance shortened to 3 points as Matthew Williams dropped a layup with less than two minutes remaining in regualtion. Portugal reacted with 3 consecutive free throws and pulled away to a 63:57 distance. Devan Bailey (183-F-89) fired 3 straight points to revive hope for England with 59 seconds left. Portugal again were perfect from the stripe and sailed away to a 67:61 mark with 34 seconds on the clock. Andrew Wallace nailed a jumper to cut the deficit to 4 points 63:67 and then Nicholas Paul added two more points to came within three with 12 seconds left. But Portugal managed to escape as Diogo Correia knocked down a jump shot and and then added a free throw sealing a victory for Portuguese squad. Joao Soares (197-F-90) led Portugal with 17 points. Devan Bailey secured 14 points and 7 rebounds for England. Patrick Nyeko had 12 points in a loss.

Midwest Exposure Camp attracts NBA personnel -by Michael HarrisThe Athlete Within Basketball School conducted its first annual Pro-Basketball Exposure Camp August 4th and 5th at the McCook Athletic & Exposition facility in McCook, IL. Located just 25 minutes from downtown Chicago, the MAX is a new, state of the art, 125,000 square foot indoor facility that played host to a weekend of high-level, competitive basketball. Watching attentively was Jim Stack, GM for the Minnesota Timberwolves, former Chicago Bull Cliff Levingston (current head coach USBL), Keith Kreiter, Agent/CEO of Edge Sports to name a few.

Derek Molis, camp director, a former Loyola University-Chicago basketball star, organized the camp with the objective of providing opportunities for local, national and international basketball professionals. “The guys invited to the camp were legitimate professionals” said Molis. “At least 6-8 guys will get jobs because of the exposure” he added. “Next year we'll have more players that will get twice the exposure”. Each invitee from the camp was provided a complimentary tape that captured footage of the two day camp to supplement their current basketball profiles.

The following players made an immediate impact during the weekend and increased their stock value:

Rashard Sullivan (203-F/C-84, college: Arkansas), 6'8 Power Forward, Arkansas: By far, the best player at the camp. Sullivan utilizes his athletic build to muscle in the paint to score easy baskets. Rashard is very athletic and plays under control. Very comfortable and consistent with his back to the basket and exhibited versatility by nailing short to mid-range jump shots or bounce passed to guards cutting to the basket. He prefers a dunk over a lay-up. Defensively, he was very active and involved on every possession. At times, needs to make better shot blocking decisions. Sullivan has an impressive basketball IQ for a post player. “This guy is ridiculous”, said Keith Kreiter, “He could be playing in the D-League, with the NBA as his ceiling”.

Tony Bennett (183-G-84, college: Bradley), 6'1 guard, Bradley University: The second best player at the camp.Bennett plays both the 1 and 2 positions interchangeably. He showed the ability to be a leader, passer and scorer. Aggressive on both ends of the floor and displayed a nice shooting touch. Great leaper for his size-can dunk in traffic. Ran the offense and kept teammates involved. Sometimes his defensive aggression led to backcourt fouls. Can score anywhere on the floor. Does what it takes to win. “Tony can dominate a game at both ends” added Kenny Williams, camp development coach and former draft pick of the Seattle Supersonics.

O'reilly & Jackson to attend South Kent Prep -by David EdoleThe offensive juggernaut known as Stephen O'reilly has put college on hold for a year to attend the prestigious South Kent Prep School in Connecticut.In a quote to the Daily Newspaper O'reilly said: “I'm really happy with it (School). It's an all boys school and it's really small. They play against the best in the nation, so if I excel there, the sky is the limit." O'Reilly hopes that he can transition success there to a scholarship next year to play on the east coast at a Division I school. The Country Day School alumnus scored a territory wide season high of 76 points in one game and almost had a quadruple double in another game. O'reilly would have probably been the first Virgin Islander to attend South Kent but he has company as Jervan Jackson has confirmed that he would be attending prep school.

"Mr. Triple-double" received great news Wednesday afternoon that his application process has been approved. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward recorded three triple-double's last season including an amazing 34 point, 12 rebound, and 10 assist effort for South Dade High School in Florida.

Jackson turned down several NCAA Division I schools offers in hopes of signing with a bigger school. He said no to Navy, Lehigh, American, Florida Gulf Coast, Barry University, Lynn, and FIU.

South Kent is the same school that has produced many NBA talents such as Miami Heats' Dorrell Wright, Washington Wizards' Andre Blatch and New Jersey Nets' Josh Boone.

CBA NEWS UPDATE: MANDEM ADVANCES TO THE SEMIS, LAKERS EVEN SCORE WITH GUIDANCE. -by David EdoleIn CBA action last night, Man Dem and Ujima had one of their classic battles. Ujima just like in game one, came out the gates blazing, however Man Dem showed their experience. Ujima lead the whole game, but in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 79. Ujima had a crucial turnover with only 20 seconds left in the game. Man Dem hit both free throws to hold off Ujima by one point. Man Dem will now face the top seeded Legacy Wednesday night. In the most exciting game of the night, Lakers even the series at one game a piece. Guidance came into the game on fire, building a 15 point lead; however, the Lakers boys came alive in the second half, and took it to Guidance. The game went back and forth, but with seconds to go, Robert Duck took off for a fast break to put the Lakers in the lead for good. Roal Ceasar made his presents felt with only just one hand, blocking seven shots in the game. He was simply playing tennis tonight. The winner of this series will play the CBA defending Champs HOYAS. The action continues at the Educational Complex Gymnasium.

*****************************************************UKRAINE

Japan spoils the opening day for Ukraine -by Eurobasket NewsJapan - Ukraine 63:53Japanese team got to a perfect start of their Univeriade campaign as they rallied past Ukraine in Bangkok. The teams kept it close early in game as they drawn at 19 after the first quarter. However Japanese players gradually took the initiative and drove to a 36:34 lead at halftime. The breakthrough for Asian team came in the third quarter when Takumi Ishizaki (188-G-84) drained a couple thre pointers and Joji Takeuchi reigned under the rims to lift Japan to a 13-point advantage 57:44. Ukraine managed to limit Japanese offensive effort in the final stanza but it was not enough for an overall success. Japan sealed their first victory and topped Group C ladder. Shohei Kikuchi (-G) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) provided 16 points apiece to lead Japan. Takumi Ishizaki contributed 14 points for the winners. Leonid Stefanyshyn (-85) was the only Ukrainian player to score in double digits. He nailed game-high 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Oleksandr Panchenko (184-G-84) added 8 points and 5 rebounds in defeat. Ukraine dominated the boards 37:28 but lacked accuracy from the field and committed too many turnovers. They converted just 36% of field goals and lost the ball 23 times. Japan responded with only 13 turnovers and shot with 39% accuracy. Japan will now face Brazil on Day 2 of action. Ukraine faces Brazil on August 10.

Dynamo Moscow inked PG Aleksandar Rasic -by Dragan JankovskiPoint guard of Serbian National Team Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) put his signature on the 2+1 years contract with Russian Dynamo Moscow whose head coach is well respected Svetislav Pesic - Kari. Rasic started last season in FMP Zeleznik and with them won National Cup of Serbia and was MVP of the final tournament. Later he moved to Turkish giant Efes Pilsen from Istanbul and in 5 games in Turkish league averaged 3.8 ppg, 2 rpg and 4.8 apg. Rasic played last three seasons in FMP and became the champion of Adriatic league 2006. FMP also won National Cup of Serbia and Montenegro 2005. Rasic was a member of U20 NT on European Championship in Brno and also of U21 NT on Global Games in Dallas.

Dynamo Moscow is placed into group F for ULEB Cup 2007-2008 so one of their rivals at the first stage will be Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade.

Canada - Thailand 96:43Canada overcame hosting Thailand in the opening game of Group A at the World University Games in Bangkok. The win saw Canadian team occupied the top spot in Group A ladder. North American team faced little problems en route to their victory as they proved the difference early in the game. They outscored Thailand 26:9 in the starting quarter and dominated the game further on. The gap grew to 53:15 mark at halftime and Canada had only to cruise to an overall success at the end. Garry Gallimore (192-G-84, agency: 123 Podium) led all scorers with 20 points, converting 88% from the field, including 2/2 from outside. Neil MacDonald (208-C-84, agency: ACMT) added 18 points and 9 boards in a winning case. Ratdech Kruatiwa topscored for the home side nailing 17 points. Jakkrapan Silapapipat had 10 points in defeat. Canada will face New Zealand in the next round. Thailand takes on New Zealand on August 10.

Lithuania - USA 97:63Lithuania University team had a victorious start to the World Universiade in Thailand. They cruised past USA in the first encounter in Group B. Lithuanian players marked their dominance in the first frame edging North American team 32:10. They extended the gap to massive 57:27 at halftime. USA showed some signs of revival in the third quarter as they controled the tempo and enjoyed a 22:20 success. But Lithuania returned smashing in the final 10 minutes and proved their favourite status stunning USA 20:14. Michailas Anisimovas (211-C-84) scored 18 points for Lithuania. Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) delivered 15 points in a winning effort. Carlton Reed (193-G, college: Iowa) secured 15 points for USA. Adam Koch (203-F) had 12 points in a defeat. Lithuania controlled the boards with 37:23. They shot impressive 56% from the field and limited USA to 36% accuracy. Both teams committed 15 turnovers. Lithuania will now face Angola in today's action. USA will take on Angola tomorrow.

Japan - Ukraine 63:53Japanese team got to a perfect start of their Univeriade campaign as they rallied past Ukraine in Bangkok. The teams kept it close early in game as they drawn at 19 after the first quarter. However Japanese players gradually took the initiative and drove to a 36:34 lead at halftime. The breakthrough for Asian team came in the third quarter when Takumi Ishizaki (188-G-84) drained a couple thre pointers and Joji Takeuchi reigned under the rims to lift Japan to a 13-point advantage 57:44. Ukraine managed to limit Japanese offensive effort in the final stanza but it was not enough for an overall success. Japan sealed their first victory and topped Group C ladder. Shohei Kikuchi (-G) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) provided 16 points apiece to lead Japan. Takumi Ishizaki contributed 14 points for the winners. Leonid Stefanyshyn (-85) was the only Ukrainian player to score in double digits. He nailed game-high 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Oleksandr Panchenko (184-G-84) added 8 points and 5 rebounds in defeat. Ukraine dominated the boards 37:28 but lacked accuracy from the field and committed too many turnovers. They converted just 36% of field goals and lost the ball 23 times. Japan responded with only 13 turnovers and shot with 39% accuracy. Japan will now face Brazil on Day 2 of action. Ukraine faces Brazil on August 10.

Czech Republic - Serbia 55:91Czech Republic University team had a bitter taste to their start of the World Universiade in Bangkok. They were thrashed by Serbia 55:91 in Group D action. The teams played a close basketball in the opening frame and Czech team trailed by just 2 points 18:20. But things went the wrong way for Czechs in the second quarter as they were outscored 6:25 and lost the first half 24:45. They cut the deficit by 5 points in the third stanza but it was not enough to come within a striking distance. Moreover Serbain players dictated the tempo in the final frame and successfully defended the gap. Vladan Vukosauyevie paced Serbia with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Strahinja Milosevic (203-G/F-85) added 16 points and 8 rebounds. Pavel Houska (201-F-84, agency: PPGroup) scored 10 points and grabbed 7 boards for Czech Republic. Martin Klimes (203-C-83) had 8 points and 5 boards in a losing effort. Serbia were more accurate from the field as they knocked down 50% of field goals. Czech players managed just 42%, including low 13% from beyond the arc. Czech players lost the battle in the paint as Serbia outrebounded them 27:30. Czech Republic will next take on Mexico today. Serbia face Mexico on July 10.

Russia - Finland 86:44Russian University team started World Univeriade campaign with a comprehensive victory. They cruised past their northern neighbours Finland 86:44 in Group E action. Russian players gained a 23:13 lead after the first frame. But the real blow for Finnish squad came in the second quarter when Russia limited their offense to just 3 points and outscored them 23:3. Therefore Russia piled up a 46:16 advantage at halftime. They never stopped in the third quarter as shots kept on dropping and Finnish defence simply collapsed allowing 33 points. Russia enjoyed a 79:24 dominance at the start of the final stanza and let the bench players to log some minutes on the court. Finland capitalized on it cutting the deficit to a respectable figures.Evgeni Voronov (192-G-86) led Russia with 18 points. Andrey Komarovskiy provided 15 points and 6 steals. Finland were paced by Anselmi Vanjoki (193-G-88) with 8 points. Samuel Haanpaa (203-G-86) netted 7 points in a loss. Russian players converted 55% from the field, including 50% from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded their opponents 29:16. Russia will next play against Chinese Taipei on August 10.

Turkey - China 97:73Turkey easily secured a winning outcome in their first game of the Universiade in Thailand. They cruised pst Chinese team in Group G action. The teams kept it close in the first half as China trailed by just single points at halftime 42:41. But Turkey speeded up the tempo in the second half and left China behind. Sinan Guler (192-G-83, college: Carroll (MT)) led Turkey with 21 points. Ismail Esmeray (-86) contributed 17 points in a win. China responded with game-high 23 points from Xie LiBin (190-G-88).

Australia - Korea 79:81A desperate comeback effort from Australian team turned out to be insufficient as Korea secured the win on the first day of action in Group H. Leading 48:34 at halftime Korea withstood a fierce attempts from Aussies to save the encounter and sealed the win at the dying stage. Cho Sung Min (190-G/F-83) netted 18 points and pulld down 8 rebounds for Korea. Park Hyung Chul (192-G-87) added 13 points for the winners. Aron Baynes (208-C-86) shone for Australia with 19 points and 12 boards.

Milke will join Defensor Sporting -by Hector LopezNathan Mielke (210-F-81, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) will join Defensor Sporting for a second year to play the Uruguayan league. Last year Mielke had played 13 games with Defensor with 12.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 1.1 apg. He also played for Olimpia during the South American League.

John Davis to play for Sayago -by Hector LopezJohn Davis (201-F-84) will be one of the import player y play for Sayago during the Uruguayan League, announced an official from the team. The official said Dvis played last season 27 games with 19.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg, with Tarleton State University.

*****************************************************

Women News

*****************************************************CANADA - Women

Canada students edge Turkish opponents in Bangkok -by Eurobasket NewsCanada - Turkey 79:64Canadian University team had a successful start to their Universiade campaign. They overcame Turkish side in yesterday's action in Group A. Canada recorded an early 11:0 run to enjoy 11:3 lead midway through the opening frame. Tulay Hizal (175-G-84) though drained a trey late in the first quarter to put Turkey in front. But it turned out to be the last time Turkey led in this game. Canada started the second quarter with a stunning 14:0 run to clear off for good. Canada rolled to a 40:27 advantage at halftime. North American was a bit sloppy in the third quarter committing 9 turnovers but they ensured a 15-point gap at the end of the quarter 59:44. Turkey never threatened Canadian dominance in the final stanza and had to surrender at the end. Carolyn Ganes (191-F/C-84) put on arguably the best performance of the opening day as she nailed 29 points and pulled down 9 boards for Canada. Natalie Doma (191-C-86) contributed 13 points and collected 13 boards for the winners. Tulay Hizal and Gulcin Cantekin (187-C-84) produced 15 points apiece to pace Turkey. Deniz Colakoglu (185-F-87) secured 11 points in a losing clause. Canada swept Turkey under the rims outrebounding them 43:19. They also shot 56% from the field, while Turkey converted 35% of their attempts. Canada will play against Thailand tomorrow. Turkey takes on Korea in another Group A clash.

Head Coach Missas announced the pre-sellected Hellenic NT -by Chris MammidesHead Coach Missas announced the 16 players which will be the pre-selected Green Natioanl team. It is worth mentioning the fact that from Esperides, Missas called four players while from the (nearly) unbeaten team of Panionios - champions 2006-2007, there is only one player. The sixteen players are the following:Dimitra Kalentzou of EsperidesLolita Limoura of VirtusAnastasia Kostaki of Elitzur RamlaEvanthia Maltsi of ValenciaOlga Hatzinikolaou of EsperidesStella Kaltsidou of EsperidesKaterina Sotiriou of Aris HolargosPolymnia Saregkou of EsperidesAfroditi Kosma of AthinaikosEleni Vasileiou of PanioniosEvangelia Katopodi of IraklisEirini Stahtiari of AO HanionParthena Nikolaidou of PanathinaikosKaterina Spatharou of PanathinaikosPelagia Papamichael of Kastoria

Russia delivers in Bangkok -by Eurobasket NewsRussia - Japan 102:61Russian team performed a spectacular piece of basketball as they edged Japan at the start of the Summer World Universiade. Both teams played an aggressive offensive basketball and the fans that gathered at Bangkok Youth Centre yesterday's evening were defenitely satisfied. The game was pretty close throughout the first three quarters. Russia dictated the pace and kept it in front. They established a 23:16 lead after the first quarter and extended the gap to 41:32 at halftime. Japan struggled to come back but remained with chances as they trailed by 15 points entering the final stanza 52:67. However the team seemed to have run out of steam and collapsed in the last 10 minutes of action. Russia were impressive and unstoppable as they outscored Asian team 35:9 in the dying stage and ensured a winning outcome. Maria Nikitina (197-C-84) shone with 30 points and 11 rebounds for Russia. Anna Petrakova (188-F-84) contributed 16 points for the winners. Maiko Sekine replied with 16 points for Japan. Mai Ishikawa had 12 points in a losing effort. Russia limited Japanese players to just 11 boards pulling down 44 themselves. They also converted impressive 62% from the field. Russia will next take on Latvia tomorrow. Japan will try to improve against USA.

Thai team secures a winning start at home -by Eurobasket NewsThailand - Korea 74:62Thailand got to a perfect start at the home universiade in Bangkok. They defeated South Korean team in the starting game of Group A. Korea enjoyed an early lead 22:18 after the first quarter. However the hosts bounced back in the second frame and surged ahead 44:32 at halftime. Korean squad tried to battle their way back into the contest after the break as Dug Hi Youn led them to a 17:13 third stanza. But it was not enough to change the course of the encounter. Thailand remained dominant and cheered up by the local fans sealed an overall victory with a 17:13 fourth frame. Naruemol Banmoo topscored in the game with 24 points for Thailand. Juthamas Jantakarn added 14 points and 5 assists for the winners. Dug Hi Youn chipped in 21 points for Korea. You Sun Bang had 12 points in a losing effort. The home side outplayed Korean players under the rims pulling down 32 rebounds. They also converted impressive 52% from the field and forced Korea to 22 turnovers. Thailand will next play against Canada tomorrow. Korea faces Turkey in another Group A clash.

USA University team overcomes Latvia in Thailand -by Eurobasket NewsUSA - Latvia 58:55 (OT)USA edged Latvia in one of the most dramatic encounters of the opening day at the World University Games in Bangkok. USA team represented by the Charlotte 49ers players needed a strong fourth frame effort to first force overtime and later celebrate a narrow 58:55 victory. USA players gained a 13:10 lead after the first frame. However Latvia cut the deficit to 2 points at halftime 24:26. The game remained a low-scoring affair after the break and Latvian team seemed to find the proper rhythm. They completely closed United States offense and limited them to only 4 points in the third quarter. It saw Latvia pile up an 8-point advantage entering the fourth stanza 38:30. But USA led by junior guard Traci Ray (5'5''-G-86) came up strong in the dying stages of the game and clinched extra time. There Ray fired 5 points in the final minute to bring USA their first victory of the tournament. Traci Ray finished with game-high 22 points for USA. Shannon McCullum contributed 10 points for the winners. Latvia answered with 16 points from Aija Putnina (6'3''-F-88). Anita Teilane (6'5''-C-85) had 12 points and 8 rebounds in a loss. USA will next play versus Japan tomorrow. Latvia faces Russia the same day.

USA University team overcomes Latvia in Thailand -by Eurobasket NewsUSA - Latvia 58:55 (OT)USA edged Latvia in one of the most dramatic encounters of the opening day at the World University Games in Bangkok. USA team represented by the Charlotte 49ers players needed a strong fourth frame effort to first force overtime and later celebrate a narrow 58:55 victory. USA players gained a 13:10 lead after the first frame. However Latvia cut the deficit to 2 points at halftime 24:26. The game remained a low-scoring affair after the break and Latvian team seemed to find the proper rhythm. They completely closed United States offense and limited them to only 4 points in the third quarter. It saw Latvia pile up an 8-point advantage entering the fourth stanza 38:30. But USA led by junior guard Traci Ray (5'5''-G-86) came up strong in the dying stages of the game and clinched extra time. There Ray fired 5 points in the final minute to bring USA their first victory of the tournament. Traci Ray finished with game-high 22 points for USA. Shannon McCullum contributed 10 points for the winners. Latvia answered with 16 points from Aija Putnina (6'3''-F-88). Anita Teilane (6'5''-C-85) had 12 points and 8 rebounds in a loss. USA will next play versus Japan tomorrow. Latvia faces Russia the same day.

Female League updating -by Gianni PascucciOlimpia and Sol de America took two important wins in last round of First Division - Clausura. Olimpia triumphed over Universidad Catolica 59-45, while Sol de America destroyed Felix Perez Cardozo 80-55 in the night of the debut of Paola Ferrari (178-G/F-85), whose addition makes automatically Sol de America the favourite for the title. The standings are now: Olimpia 4 points, Sol 2, Felix Perez 2, UCA 2, UAA 1.

*****************************************************PORTUGAL - Women

Monarchs Clinch Playoff Berth With Win Over Sun -by Bruno BaltazarThe final result was Sacramento 81, Connecticut 79 with this result Monarchs and Ticha Penicheiro in 29.06 minuts of game scored 7 points,3 steals,6assists.Kara Lawson came off the bench to score 21 points and Sacramento clinched a playoff spot Tuesday with an 81-79 win over the Connecticut Sun, the team the Monarchs beat in four games for the WNBA championship in 2005.The Sun came in on a four-game winning streak, and had won 10 of 11."This was huge,'' Lawson said. "We're playing the team that's been the best team in the WNBA for the last 11 games, so we knew it was going to be a fight down to the end.''The Monarchs (17-11) led by seven with just over two minutes to play, and held off a charge that was sparked by a technical foul and the ejection of a Connecticut player's husband from the stands.The Sun's Asjha Jones got the technical, slamming the ball to the court after a jump ball was called with 2:04 left and the Monarchs up 77-71.Lawson hit the foul shot to give Sacramento a seven-point lead.Katie Douglas watched her husband, Vasilis Giapalakis, get escorted from the arena for comments he directed at the referees. She then hit a 3-pointer which bounced high off the rim to make it 78-74.Sacramento's Nicole Powell answered right back with a 3-pointer, before the Sun's Lindsay Whalen drove to the basket, hit a layup and turned it into a three-point play after she was fouled by Ticha Penicheiro.Nykesha Sales brought the Sun within two points on a baseline drive with 30 seconds left. Connecticut got the ball back with seven seconds left, but Whalen missed a shot and Sacramento hung on."I think Asjha's technical was out of frustration,'' said Sun coach Mike Thibault, who also drew a technical. "I thought we kept playing pretty dang hard.''Whalen and Jones had 17 each to lead the Sun (16-13).Adrian Williams had 14 points for Sacramento and Yolanda Griffith added 11. The Sacramento bench had 45 points to 19 for the Sun, and the Monarchs outrebounded Connecticut 35-24."Rebounding has always been our bread and butter,'' Penicheiro said. "When we do that and play defense we usually win ball games.''The Monarchs played most of the second half without Chelsea Newton, who took a hard foul from Jones with 9:11 to go in the third quarter and left the game holding her left wrist. Team officials said she would undergo X-rays Wednesday.The Sun hit their first six shots and jumped out to a quick 12-6 lead. Jones was 6-of-6 in the first period, helping build the lead to 11, and Connecticut led by seven, 27-20, after one.But Lawson hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the period to spark a Monarch run and Sacramento took the lead, 33-32 with 3:25 left in the half.Lawson scored 14 in first the half, including her team's final eight points, but Jones' jumper just before intermission sent the teams to halftime tied at 39.Sacramento scored the first six points of the third, and led by as many as seven in the quarter. But Connecticut used a 13-3 run to take a 59-53 lead. The Monarchs cut that to 59-58 going into the final period.The game was tied seven times, and had five lead changes.With the win, the Monarchs clinched their fifth consecutive playoff berth.

Portuguese team getting togheter for European preparation -by Bruno BaltazarPortugal initiated 2nd phase of training of August, integrated in the plan of preparation of Portugal, in view of 2nd return of European Champs - division B.Portuguese equips it who carried through 1st phase of the championship that we can consider excellent, having been beaten only for Bosnia, in game of bad memory for Portugal since, an arbitration something caretaker did not allow that Portugal won this meeting in regular time , in the overtime finished for being defeated by Bosnia.Portugal form it continues in the route for qualification with 3 victories and a defeat, his in 2nd place of the group isolated and in great position to argue the access to division A, what it would be an unknown fact in the feminine national basketball. Nor everything has been easy for the Portugal for several reasons that go since injuries of gravity of some players (Gilda, Sara), problems with not compatible jobs with the periods of training (Carla Freitas, Sonia Blacksmith, Ana Teixeira), and still for reasons of studies (Cristiana Araujo, Raquel Jacinth, Susan Foreid), and also the abandonment of Susana Soares, have not allowed that the national selector Carlos Portugal the stronger team.However, it was obtained to congregate a lot of young players of good quality, proceeding from U-20 team that, jointly with the players most experienced, has trained allot and for the games that already had carried through they leave the possibility to reach the first goal that is the qualification for the games of promotion to the division, 2 with the University of Marquette (1l-1w), 2 with the Selection de Castilla and Leon and Basque Pais (2v), the national seleccao gave good account of itself, having carried through good exhibitions. Rude blow in Portugal was the injury of Sonia Reis, the spectacular Portuguese that has been determinative in equip, and also the absence of the other player Ana Sousa the accounts with problems in the column. To also greet the recovery of Sara Filipe that certainly will help Portugal, expecting PG of WNBA Ticha Penicheiro and center/forward Mery Andrade to play in Italy, and also to recoup of an injury, can come to contribute with its habitual availability to become still more competitive team. For already the following players are concentrated: Sofia Ramalho, Carla Nascimento, Mariana Alves, Fatima Freitas, Larisse Lima, Ana Oliveira, Joana Lopes, Paula Muxiri, Catia Lirio, Nadia Tavares, Sara Filipe, Tamara Milovac, Debora Escorcio and Patricia de Jesus. In this period of training they go to be carried through 4 meeting with the Seleccao of Chile, games will be disputed in Evora, days 10, 11, 13 and 14, for 8.15pm, with which period of training of August of the team, that will come back to the work, of this time in Oliveira of the Hospital from day 17 of this will be locked in 2nd month. Salient that the Championship of the Europe will begin in 1st of September with Portugal going to Luxemburg, following themselves in day 5, in Oliveira of the Hospital, the meeting with the Bosnia, it stops of followed to travel until to Estonia in day 12 and finishing the championship with Portugal x England to dispute in day 15, in Evora. Play-off final 22 and 26 of September will have place.

*****************************************************RUSSIA - Women

Russia delivers in Bangkok -by Eurobasket NewsRussia - Japan 102:61Russian team performed a spectacular piece of basketball as they edged Japan at the start of the Summer World Universiade. Both teams played an aggressive offensive basketball and the fans that gathered at Bangkok Youth Centre yesterday's evening were defenitely satisfied. The game was pretty close throughout the first three quarters. Russia dictated the pace and kept it in front. They established a 23:16 lead after the first quarter and extended the gap to 41:32 at halftime. Japan struggled to come back but remained with chances as they trailed by 15 points entering the final stanza 52:67. However the team seemed to have run out of steam and collapsed in the last 10 minutes of action. Russia were impressive and unstoppable as they outscored Asian team 35:9 in the dying stage and ensured a winning outcome. Maria Nikitina (197-C-84) shone with 30 points and 11 rebounds for Russia. Anna Petrakova (188-F-84) contributed 16 points for the winners. Maiko Sekine replied with 16 points for Japan. Mai Ishikawa had 12 points in a losing effort. Russia limited Japanese players to just 11 boards pulling down 44 themselves. They also converted impressive 62% from the field. Russia will next take on Latvia tomorrow. Japan will try to improve against USA.

Thai team secures a winning start at home -by Eurobasket NewsThailand - Korea 74:62Thailand got to a perfect start at the home universiade in Bangkok. They defeated South Korean team in the starting game of Group A. Korea enjoyed an early lead 22:18 after the first quarter. However the hosts bounced back in the second frame and surged ahead 44:32 at halftime. Korean squad tried to battle their way back into the contest after the break as Dug Hi Youn led them to a 17:13 third stanza. But it was not enough to change the course of the encounter. Thailand remained dominant and cheered up by the local fans sealed an overall victory with a 17:13 fourth frame. Naruemol Banmoo topscored in the game with 24 points for Thailand. Juthamas Jantakarn added 14 points and 5 assists for the winners. Dug Hi Youn chipped in 21 points for Korea. You Sun Bang had 12 points in a losing effort. The home side outplayed Korean players under the rims pulling down 32 rebounds. They also converted impressive 52% from the field and forced Korea to 22 turnovers. Thailand will next play against Canada tomorrow. Korea faces Turkey in another Group A clash.

Canada students edge Turkish opponents in Bangkok -by Eurobasket NewsCanada - Turkey 79:64Canadian University team had a successful start to their Universiade campaign. They overcame Turkish side in yesterday's action in Group A. Canada recorded an early 11:0 run to enjoy 11:3 lead midway through the opening frame. Tulay Hizal (175-G-84) though drained a trey late in the first quarter to put Turkey in front. But it turned out to be the last time Turkey led in this game. Canada started the second quarter with a stunning 14:0 run to clear off for good. Canada rolled to a 40:27 advantage at halftime. North American was a bit sloppy in the third quarter committing 9 turnovers but they ensured a 15-point gap at the end of the quarter 59:44. Turkey never threatened Canadian dominance in the final stanza and had to surrender at the end. Carolyn Ganes (191-F/C-84) put on arguably the best performance of the opening day as she nailed 29 points and pulled down 9 boards for Canada. Natalie Doma (191-C-86) contributed 13 points and collected 13 boards for the winners. Tulay Hizal and Gulcin Cantekin (187-C-84) produced 15 points apiece to pace Turkey. Deniz Colakoglu (185-F-87) secured 11 points in a losing clause. Canada swept Turkey under the rims outrebounding them 43:19. They also shot 56% from the field, while Turkey converted 35% of their attempts. Canada will play against Thailand tomorrow. Turkey takes on Korea in another Group A clash.

Thailand - Korea 74:62Thailand got to a perfect start at the home universiade in Bangkok. They defeated South Korean team in the starting game of Group A. Korea enjoyed an early lead 22:18 after the first quarter. However the hosts bounced back in the second frame and surged ahead 44:32 at halftime. Korean squad tried to battle their way back into the contest after the break as Dug Hi Youn led them to a 17:13 third stanza. But it was not enough to change the course of the encounter. Thailand remained dominant and cheered up by the local fans sealed an overall victory with a 17:13 fourth frame. Naruemol Banmoo topscored in the game with 24 points for Thailand. Juthamas Jantakarn added 14 points and 5 assists for the winners. Dug Hi Youn chipped in 21 points for Korea. You Sun Bang had 12 points in a losing effort. The home side outplayed Korean players under the rims pulling down 32 rebounds. They also converted impressive 52% from the field and forced Korea to 22 turnovers. Thailand will next play against Canada tomorrow. Korea faces Turkey in another Group A clash.

Canada - Turkey 79:64Canadian University team had a successful start to their Universiade campaign. They overcame Turkish side in yesterday's action in Group A. Canada recorded an early 11:0 run to enjoy 11:3 lead midway through the opening frame. Tulay Hizal (175-G-84) though drained a trey late in the first quarter to put Turkey in front. But it turned out to be the last time Turkey led in this game. Canada started the second quarter with a stunning 14:0 run to clear off for good. Canada rolled to a 40:27 advantage at halftime. North American was a bit sloppy in the third quarter committing 9 turnovers but they ensured a 15-point gap at the end of the quarter 59:44. Turkey never threatened Canadian dominance in the final stanza and had to surrender at the end. Carolyn Ganes (191-F/C-84) put on arguably the best performance of the opening day as she nailed 29 points and pulled down 9 boards for Canada. Natalie Doma (191-C-86) contributed 13 points and collected 13 boards for the winners. Tulay Hizal and Gulcin Cantekin (187-C-84) produced 15 points apiece to pace Turkey. Deniz Colakoglu (185-F-87) secured 11 points in a losing clause. Canada swept Turkey under the rims outrebounding them 43:19. They also shot 56% from the field, while Turkey converted 35% of their attempts. Canada will play against Thailand tomorrow. Turkey takes on Korea in another Group A clash.

USA - Latvia 58:55 (OT)USA edged Latvia in one of the most dramatic encounters of the opening day at the World University Games in Bangkok. USA team represented by the Charlotte 49ers players needed a strong fourth frame effort to first force overtime and later celebrate a narrow 58:55 victory. USA players gained a 13:10 lead after the first frame. However Latvia cut the deficit to 2 points at halftime 24:26. The game remained a low-scoring affair after the break and Latvian team seemed to find the proper rhythm. They completely closed United States offense and limited them to only 4 points in the third quarter. It saw Latvia pile up an 8-point advantage entering the fourth stanza 38:30. But USA led by junior guard Traci Ray (165-G-86) came up strong in the dying stages of the game and clinched extra time. There Ray fired 5 points in the final minute to bring USA their first victory of the tournament. Traci Ray finished with game-high 22 points for USA. Shannon McCullum contributed 10 points for the winners. Latvia answered with 16 points from Aija Putnina (191-F-88). Anita Teilane (196-C-85) had 12 points and 8 rebounds in a loss. USA will next play versus Japan tomorrow. Latvia faces Russia the same day.

Russia - Japan 102:61Russian team performed a spectacular piece of basketball as they edged Japan at the start of the Summer World Universiade. Both teams played an aggressive offensive basketball and the fans that gathered at Bangkok Youth Centre yesterday's evening were defenitely satisfied. The game was pretty close throughout the first three quarters. Russia dictated the pace and kept it in front. They established a 23:16 lead after the first quarter and extended the gap to 41:32 at halftime. Japan struggled to come back but remained with chances as they trailed by 15 points entering the final stanza 52:67. However the team seemed to have run out of steam and collapsed in the last 10 minutes of action. Russia were impressive and unstoppable as they outscored Asian team 35:9 in the dying stage and ensured a winning outcome. Maria Nikitina (197-C-84) shone with 30 points and 11 rebounds for Russia. Anna Petrakova (188-F-84) contributed 16 points for the winners. Maiko Sekine replied with 16 points for Japan. Mai Ishikawa had 12 points in a losing effort. Russia limited Japanese players to just 11 boards pulling down 44 themselves. They also converted impressive 62% from the field. Russia will next take on Latvia tomorrow. Japan will try to improve against USA.